


Keep me Secret, Keep me Safe

by phoenix220



Category: Bleach
Genre: Controlling father, Disney References, Father-Son Relationship, M/M, Mystical abilities, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-02-17
Updated: 2017-04-14
Packaged: 2018-05-21 08:28:38
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 37,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6044881
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phoenix220/pseuds/phoenix220
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ichigo has lived for years with a secret, one that has kept him hidden away in his home. When he follows a certain blue haired youth out one day, he encounters a different world than what his father had led him to believe; a world that will make it hard to return to his solitude. Yaoi Grimm/ichi Disney influences.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

~~Once upon a time, in a Kingdom far far away lived a king and queen~~

~~Once upon a time in a city nearby lived a king and queen~~

Recently, in a city nearby lived a rich and powerful family. They owned one of the world’s largest corporations which had branches in technology, fashion, banking, medical and charitable endeavours making them also one of the most loved. The couple had met in university, her studying fashion merchandising and him business management and they had fallen in love almost instantly.

Their first business venture took off unexpectedly making them delay started their family, something that they had both dreamed of for years. After a decade of successful ventures and unbelievable profits they decided to settle, the Queen of the company falling pregnant almost too easily. And she bloomed. A new maternity line took off and everyone held their breath for the baby to be born, to find out if it was to be a little prince or princess for Shiba Incorporated.

Of course not all was as it seemed and not everyone loved Isshin and Masaki, no matter how lovely and kind they both were. Cruel and jealous competitors tried to undermine the company, trying to shake their shareholders and sully the name in the market but nothing shifted the public’s view. Masaki appeared on magazines and newspapers, her bump growing with every passing month and the public watched it grow with anticipation. There were national bets being placed to discover which sex the baby would be and the doctors and nurses caring for the expectant mother were badgered to let the details slip. Nothing was forthcoming however, the mother having that secret smile all mothers have when they know they are carrying a precious surprise.

Eight and a half months of pregnancy was enough to drive even the most saintly mother to distraction and her growing passenger was more and more mobile every day. She affectionately referred to it as Fidget since he/she clearly couldn’t lie still. The mother also found it hard to lie still and paced the floors at night, getting out as much as she could every day.

It was late afternoon, three weeks before the baby was due when tragedy struck. Masaki didn’t do anything out of the ordinary, the local shopping mall guards even knew her by name so the glowing mother-to-be was greeted as she wandered around, glad to be out. She had adopted a dignified waddle to get herself around; a gait that unfortunately meant her handbag kept slipping off her shoulder to her elbow. With practiced ease she would slide it back up, gazing in the windows at the shoes she couldn’t wear at the moment and the dresses that wouldn’t close when her bag started slipping, her hand automatically out to life it as she headed onto the escalator. That time however, it wasn’t her rolling walk that slipped her bag; it was a hooded person with their hand on the strap, pulling it down and away as they ran down the stairs. Masaki gripped the straps, as anyone would without thinking but eight months of baby weight had changed her centre of gravity and when the bag was yanked one last time out of her hands, she could do nothing to stop her fall down the unforgiving metal stairs to the end. Head tucked and arms cradling her precious bundle, she came to a stop at the bottom.

Isshin said she protected her son until the very end, handing on until they had her in surgery and had him out. The doctor said she got a look at her little boy before she slipped away, internal and head injuries too severe to save her life.

The boy wasn’t given long to live himself, he had internal injuries himself and was put in a special incubator to try and help him but miracles do happen and the little boy made it through, going home with his father a week or so after his birth.

Isshin loved his son with a fiery passion, something that surprised some people but he always saw it that Masaki gave her life to protect him, so Isshin could do no less. He remained nameless for a while, Isshin not able to replace his beloved Masaki’s Fidget nickname but he was a good baby, rarely crying or really fussing. Isshin knew that so the night he was woken by his little boy’s screaming made him jump up, running down the hall to the nursery in time to see a shadow leaving the room, crib empty. He roused his security, getting the police and the fire department involved to hunt down his son’s kidnapper but nothing came up, the baby lifted without a trace and no path or vehicle trace proved worthwhile. Isshin had lost his whole family through no fault of his own and it changed him, making him quieter and more solemn. The only time he showed any emotion was on his son’s birthday, which was also the day his wife died, July 15th when he would light up the lake with huge barges of fire which he would watch from his balcony until they went out, signifying the light in his life leaving for another year. Huge crowds gathered every year in the park round the lake to see the spectacle; after a decade half of them weren’t even aware of why the fires were lit.

Chapter 1

Ichigo looked down on the world. It wasn’t a pompous attitude or any sort of delusions of grandeur; rather it was the high, floor to ceiling windows that formed two of the walls in his living room, twelve stories above the streets below. It wasn’t _the_ tallest building in the city but it was close, none of the huge skyscrapers of the big cities had made it there yet. Karakura was a modest city, boasting a park near Ichigo’s building, five other skyscrapers and a whole muddle of other buildings tall and small. There seemed to be many streets running between these buildings and an airport was near enough that sometimes Ichigo watched planes taking off and setting down.

Ichigo’s building was one of the older, grander ones on the street and in the area; the carved stone buttresses and columns were aged compared to the ones across the way. There were a few stores nearby as well, one that clearly sold fruits and vegetables displayed outside. There was a bookstore on the corner and a few others he wasn’t sure about.

The reason he wasn’t sure: he’d never left his apartment. Ever.

It was a very nice apartment, four bedrooms, three with en-suites and one main bathroom; massive kitchen that had been upgraded twice in his knowledge and had shiny metal appliances and glossy worktops. His living room was decked out in greys recently, a low backed sofa in black and a glossy black table in the middle of grey carpets and silver furnishings.

He had everything he needed in that apartment. One of the rooms had a gym installed, replacing his playroom as he grew out of it. Another had a library stocked full of interesting books on history and science and the third spare bedroom had a piano, guitar and violin in it, tutors coming at different times of the week to give him lessons on the various instruments.

He wasn’t even sure why some people left their homes.

He occasionally got lonely but he wasn’t totally alone in the world. His loving father visited him three times a week, sometimes with friends Ichigo wasn’t allowed to talk to but it was contact and listening to the busy men talking was nice as he worked on them. At least one of the visits from his father in the week was just for them, some father and son bonding time to keep them close. Ichigo did enjoy his time with his father, but the man was very good at avoiding certain topics when questioned those topics had changed as he got older.

_Why don’t you stay here Daddy?_

_Why can’t I go to my friend’s house?_

_Why does anyone go outside?_

_Why can’t I go outside?_

The reasons his father gave for the last question when he did answer it did not change. Outside was scary, it was dangerous and for someone like Ichigo it would be too much. Ichigo had to stay safe, stay out of harm; stay inside.

He did have a couple of friends his age, one he liked and one he didn’t. Shinji Hirako was a funny blond he saw regularly and they played chess and cards together. Shinji knew how to play the violin and piano as well so sometimes they’d go into the music room and play for a while but Ichigo’s father didn’t like that much since Shinji had no music taste, playing the most random tunes that Ichigo had never heard of. They didn’t appear in any of the sheet music he used.

The other friend was a girl called Orihime but she made Ichigo feel uncomfortable. She only wanted to have tea and _chat_ and she sat too closely for Ichigo’s comfort. She also had an overly shapely body that according to some of the fiction he had was attractive to males but he didn’t see why. As he got older he realised why his father brought her round, it was so that Ichigo could have a girlfriend but he had no want to indulge in the little intimacy he knew about. The idea of kissing the girl made him squeamish. He could barely bring himself to hold her hand when they parted.

His days were repetitive but he didn’t know any better, enjoying the little things he got to do for himself among his daily tasks. Every day started with a run on the treadmill followed by a little stretching to keep his body lean. Then it was breakfast, high fibre muesli with fresh fruit. The only variation he got was on the different fruits depending on the season. Two hours of studying before he had to get back into the gym for an hour and a half of machine training with a personal trainer there to motivate him. The trainer stayed for a lunch of lean protein and salad again with seasonal variations before Ichigo’s tutors arrived. Different days meant different tutors including his music teacher, language teacher, math and science or history and politics. Before his fish and grain dinner he had to complete forty five minutes of cardio so that he could have his evenings to himself. He had a small CD collection he could listen to, all classical or he could indulge in a book from his small fiction collection.

There was only really one day a year that was different and that was his birthday. It wasn’t much of a difference as he still had to complete all his normal daily tasks but at night he performed his only bit of teenage rebellion, climbing to the roof in the dark to watch the sky burn. It wasn’t difficult to get there as his gym room had a handy metal ladder that went up there from the window and though it was a bit tricky to get over the lip to the roof top, his body was strong and lean so he could pull himself over. His apartment was on the top living floor so the view wasn’t much improved but the smell and the panoramic feel of the outside made the night that much more special. When the dark approached the first glows appeared, spreading until one side of the park was lit brightly with embers floating in the darkness. He would stay up there until the night grew black again, the smell of the fires hanging around much longer than the flames. He wondered what it all meant, the stories from his books of people burning their dead in the past or the witches of old being burned at the stake as a punishment made him fear them but every year he watched them, wishing to see the actual fires rather than just the glowing sky but knowing he couldn’t.

He had to stay in, people were dangerous and not to be trusted. He had to keep it a secret, keep it safe.

_iiiiiii_

Eighteen was an important birthday, even Ichigo knew that. Eighteen meant he was nearly a man and as such it gave Ichigo a little courage to ask something of his father. He would never ask for a gift, he had never received one but permission was different. As he’d got older he’d got permission to stay up later and to choose his musical instruments, the cello being removed from his music room and life forever. He also knew his father loved him and had always done everything for him. He was very aware how lucky he was with his life and how it would have been different if his father didn’t protect him.

A week before his eighteenth birthday his father had his scheduled Saturday visit, bringing another of his older friends along for Ichigo to help and Ichigo felt it was a good time to ask. He waited until it was just the two of them in the kitchen to approach the older man but last minute nerves took his voice before he could.

“Ichigo, what is the matter? You keep looking at me like you are going to say something then don’t. Spit it out boy.” His father turned with a half-smile as he lifted the glasses out of the cabinet onto the tray to join the wine bottle he’d uncorked a while ago to allow it to breath.

“Father, I was just going to ask; you know how it’s my birthday next week?”

The older man held one of the glasses up to the light, wiping a smudge off the crystal before putting it down. “Yes Ichigo, I am fully aware of what date it is. Do you want one of your friends around for your birthday? I am sure Ms Inoue would love to be invited for a birthday tea.”

“No Father, that wasn’t what I was going to ask. I was wondering if we could do something?” Ichigo dropped his face quickly so his father wouldn’t see his red face.

“But Ichigo, it’s a Friday. You know I don’t come round on a Friday.”

“Yes Father but,”

“I’m sure it can wait until the Saturday.” His father lifted the silver tray and went to leave the kitchen but Ichigo panicked, reaching out and touching his father’s upper arm. The older man turned with his eyebrows drawn down. There was no physical contact between them except for the absolute necessary.

“It can’t wait; I want to see the burning sky.” Ichigo’s voice got quieter as he spoke, his hands behind his back and gripped tightly in each other and his gaze fixed on the floor.

His father put the tray back down before he approached Ichigo, standing with his arms folded over his chest. Ichigo’s head crept up, his eyes wide as he took in the disapproval on his father face, an emotion he wasn’t used to seeing. “The ‘burning sky’? I take it you mean the fires in the park? You want to go to a dangerous, crowd filled park to watch some out of control flame show? Have you lost your mind boy? What if something happened? What if someone took you, have you any idea what they would do to you if they knew what you could do? You’d be dead in a week if you were caught.” Ichigo’s shoulders slumped, knowing that not only was the answer no, and his father now thought he was an idiot. “How could you even consider it? Do you not have everything you could ever want here? Do I not provide you with everything a boy could even dream about?”

“Yes Father, I am sorry Father.” Ichigo whispered his apology, keeping his eyes downcast so his father wouldn’t see the gleam in them of building tears.

“To think you’d rather be out there, in pain and suffering rather in this safe and warm place. Do I ask too much of you? Do you feel like you are owed some sort of due?”

“No Father.”

“Good, now take five minutes, wash your face boy and make yourself presentable before you come in with my guests but don’t take too long. I don’t want to stay here with someone who doesn’t want me here.”

Ichigo held it together until his father left with the laden tray, the hot tears over running onto his red cheeks with the shame he felt at his father’s words. He took the other door out of the kitchen so that he could go to his room and quickly wash up, the cold water doing very little to calm his face. He held a wash cloth at his skin for a moment or two before glancing in the mirror. His brown eyes were a bit red and his nose was pink at the end but other than that he looked presentable. His orange hair spiked over his head as usual, the front a little damp from his wash but even that couldn’t hold down the wild hair.

A couple of deep breaths were all it took to bolster his nerve to face his father once more, heading into the room and bowing low to the three gentlemen. The older man that was here to see him was accompanied by his son and the family likeness was obvious, something that was lacking between Ichigo and his father.

“You have grown boy; Sousuke your boy is growing into a man quickly.”

Ichigo’s father smiled pleasantly at the older man, taking a sip out of his glass before answering. “Growing taller perhaps, not quite a man yet. Ichigo?” His father looked expectantly and Ichigo moved over to the older man, kneeling at his feet and pulling off his shirt. He folded the black button up carefully before putting it on the side table at his father’s elbow. He took the old man’s hands and looked him in the eye, the yellowing of the whites of his eyes showing the main cause of the man’s weariness. Ichigo felt his father stand at his side but did not glance up, didn’t want to show any more weakness and didn’t even flinch as the knife was drawn. His father was still angry with him, he could tell with the way the blade impacted with his skin, his initial hiss turning into a cry quickly. The slice was deep, the blood running down his skin warming it as it flowed. Ichigo watched the old man in his hands look away which meant his eyes had changed and the reflection in the man’s glasses showed him his hair was alight as well. He didn’t like that his abilities came with such negatives of his eyes changing to black and his hair glowing since it scared people but he couldn’t control it, the only thing that seemed to be able to bring it out was pain and blood but seeing the health come back to the people in his hands was reward enough. Even taking his own father’s pain and creases away was a gift; a gift to be kept safe.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Sunday evening was spent with his friend Shinji, the pair sitting silently round the chess board. Ichigo didn’t realise he was sighing as much but eventually Shinji got sick of it and responded with a loud huff of his own. That snapped Ichigo out of his funk, his usual scowl in place as he met his friend’s eyes.

“What?” Ichigo didn’t normally snap, he was usually so congenial that his rough response to Shinji’s huff made the blond’s eyebrows shoot up and his back straighten.

“Oh nothing, absolutely nothing.” Shinji rolled his eyes before twiddling his bishop with his middle finger. “Or at least nothing I’d ask a grouch anyway.”

Ichigo’s breath came out in a rush and he turned his attention to the game again, reaching out and moving a pawn one space forward.

“Ok, maybe I will ask as you’ve never put your queen in danger before so you’re clearly distracted. What’s up?”

“Nothing.” Ichigo glanced at his friend quickly and huffed when he saw Shinji’s clearly disbelieving look. “I had an argument with my father that’s all. He’s disappointed in me.”

Shinji snorted before moving a piece to take Ichigo’s queen. “That’s a first. Thought you were the perfect child who could do _no_ wrong. So, what did you break?” Shinji waited for a response but none came. “Ok, did you buy something too expensive? Erm, did you say something you shouldn’t have?”

“I asked to go outside.”

Shinji frowned instantly, turning to the game in front of him for a second. “But you know you can’t right? You could die, you’ve always known that. Your condition, what the hell were you thinking? Have you idea how embarrassing it is to get my temperature taken before I come and see you in case I kill you myself?”

Ichigo didn’t reply, knowing the story Shinji had been told as a child. Ichigo had never been sick a day in his life as far as he knew but his father had concocted an illness that kept his son locked away from the world for his own good. It meant no awkward questions or invitations from the friends Sousuke did allow round.

“Yeah I know but I just wanted to do something for my birthday next week. It was stupid I know that.”

“You don’t know how lucky you are to be able to stay here all the time. My father is trying to get me to join his practice as a junior solicitor but tch, boring.” Shinji wasn’t stupid, he’d aced all of his classes but had zero interest in using his brains the way his father wanted him too. It was a foreign concept to Ichigo, the idea that he could say no to his father. “Where did you want to go anyway?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“Do you want me to come round? I could smuggle in some booze, always wanted to see you drunk. Or would that kill you?”

Ichigo snorted, shaking his head before knocking his king over, the game unwinnable. “No, I don’t think it would kill me, I’ve had plenty of glasses of wine with dinner. Father wanted to invite Orihime Inoue round for a birthday tea but I think he’ll still be too annoyed with me to do it.”

Shinji visibly shuddered. “When I finally open my own design house I will be sending the fashion police round to her to arrest her for crimes against decency. Serious, how long before you’re married to her?”

Ichigo chuckled and shook his head. “Never if I have anything to say about it. Clothing choices aside she’s a nice girl but we have nothing in common. She doesn’t even like music, can’t read sheet music and doesn’t understand the greats at all. We’d be strangers in the same house. And I’d have to put the musical instruments into the gym to give her a room.” Ichigo shook his head, not noticing Shinji’s incredulous look at his naivety. “What if she wanted two rooms as well? One to sleep in and one to, I don’t know, sew? Paint? What if we had to share the room? I’d never be able to escape her except in bed at night!”

Shinji laughed out loud, shaking his head at the poor innocent boy. Shinji had noticed Ichigo’s complete lack of social knowledge. He’d no idea about popular culture, most modern technologies and seemed to be completely asexual. Shinji had been taught for years to not bring up things like the internet, mobile phones, mature content or anything like that. Ichigo didn’t even own modern music or a television and had been kept pure and unsullied. Shinji had been dying to ask the boy if he’d ever had an erection but was too scared that their time might be monitored.

“I’m sure you’d survive if it ever did happen but we’ll hope for another future.” A knock at the front door drew their attention and signalled Shinji’s time being up. “Look I’ll keep Friday night clear and I’ll be round with beer. You’ll not like it but you’ll drink it anyway.” Shinji headed to the door, going to pick his jacket up but was stopped by a firm hand on the sleeve.

“Can I tell you a secret?” Ichigo whispered the request, leaning forward which made Shinji mirror him. Ichigo hesitated when their faces were close, nibbling on his lower lip for a second. “I asked my father if he would take me to see the sky burn, but he said it was too dangerous.”

“Ichigo, you know I’d love to indulge you in a bit of reality but he’s right, it’s too dangerous for you.”

“No, I’m not asking you to take me. I usually sneak up onto the roof to watch it on my birthday and if you’re coming round I was wondering if you would come with me?”

Shinji’s eyes went wide, surprised at the other’s admission. Ichigo had never gone against his strict lifestyle in all the years the boys had known each other. “I’d love to.”

Ichigo straightened with a proper smile on his face. Another knock sounded at the door again, this one a bit more forceful. Shinji slung his jacket on quickly, heading to the door and slipping his shoes on before sending a quick smile Ichigo’s way. “See you Friday.”

Ichigo let out a breath as the door closed after his friend, glad he’d opened up to the blond. He’s always felt comfortable around him, a little guilt at hiding his true condition but there had never been a reason to tell him the truth.

_iiiiiii_

The next few days flew by; his routines were so familiar to him that he could just coast along. He still performed well in his lessons and maintained his harsh training schedules but he knew his heart wasn’t in it fully. His midweek evening with his father was stilted and short, their private session with Ichigo’s ability the only thing he came for. Ichigo knelt on the floor below his father, one hand entwined with his father’s on the knife as it sliced through his side. His scream was loud and his head flew back with the pain from the vicious thrust but he felt his body react the way it always did. His father did not flinch from his demon eyes and the cold stare he returned to his son showed he was still upset. The overly harsh cut spoke for itself as well.

Ichigo fell to the side when his father released him, gasping as his hands pressed against the now healed wound in his side. His ability worked on him as well, healing whatever had released it but left him with a scar that reflected how the wound was inflicted. That one was wide and sensitive, still pink and angry and he grit his teeth to combat the residual pain from it. His whole body ached after a session to reverse his father’s condition, the older man not wanting to show any trace of his advancing years. It was something Ichigo couldn’t _heal_ but he could help. Sousuke Aizen had been fifty seven when Ichigo was born but now that Ichigo was eighteen, he looked in his late thirties from using his son’s body to keep himself young. Ichigo knew it was a small thing and since it was well within his capabilities he would be a selfish son to not help. But the larger the wound or the more damage he had to reverse meant the bigger the wound being inflicted and the more pain  Ichigo had to deal with afterwards.

Thursday was a dreary day, making Ichigo hope for a break in the weather for the next day but the day passed like many others, his trainer leaving after lunch as usual. Ichigo was in the gym later after lunch when he heard a crash outside, the boy running over to the window in time to see a pair of legs landing on the metal grate right outside. Ichigo let out a cry which drew the stranger’s attention, Ichigo stepping back and holding one hand over his mouth. The face that looked back on him was as young as his own, paler skin though and bright blue eyes dominating Ichigo’s view. He did notice the brilliant blue hair topping the boy at his window but the crooked grin made him blush and the wink that followed made blood run elsewhere. Ichigo blinked and the boy disappeared, Ichigo running to the window to find him when another pair of legs hit down in front of him. The other body took off down the stairs, Ichigo now out and perching his bottom on the window frame to track the two’s progress down his ladders. They stopped at the bottom, Ichigo wondering how they would get down, the steps stopped far above the street but the blue haired one just bent down and released a ladder from under the last platform, the two males hopping down before taking off across the main road.

Ichigo’s breath was coming hard as he realised how close he’d been to a way out all along, a way that meant he could come and go as much as he wanted.

Ichigo tore out of the gym, heading for his bedroom before he stripped out of his gym gear, dressing in his grey suit and putting his good watch on. If he was going outside for the first time, he’d be dressed properly. His father and all of their guests always wore a suit so Ichigo knew that was how he should be dressed. He propped his foot up on the gym window ledge to tie his shiny black shoes before checking his watch against the clock in the gym. He had no visitors coming round until his trainer the next morning so as long as he was back for then no one would know he was ever away.

He climbed out on to the metal grating, glancing up to the small climb he normally did easily before looking down at the long drop to the ground. He didn’t rush, didn’t want to have any stupid accidents so it took a while for him to reach the last ladder. He hesitated at the top of it, glancing around but didn’t see anyone around so he turned and climbed down, his foot hitting the concrete before jumping back up. It took a couple of calming breaths for Ichigo to relax his grip and step off the ladder.

Ichigo stepped out of the alley and looked around at all the buildings he’d looked down on for seventeen years. The number of details he’d missed was astounding and he walked with his mouth stupidly open as he soaked them in; the colours were so different than he’d seen from his windows, shades hidden by the distance. He’d not known that the road and the pavement were different shades of grey, the path under his feet flecked with red and white chips that had been pressed into the concrete. The main pavements were slabbed and there were random whiteish blobs on it, something he wasn’t sure of having never experienced chewing gum.  He studied people’s faces as they passed him, seeing all the variations he’d never knew existed as well as all the different clothes he’d never experienced. A number of people had flat boxes against their ears that he didn’t understand and he was freaked out a bit by the bicycles that passed him, jumping back at the sheer speed.

He walked across the road with a small crowd of people, stopping at the corner and looking back at his home, glancing up and making out his windows high above him. He stood and memorised all the surroundings to help him find his way home again and decided to count his steps away from his street so he could count back. Hansel and Gretel clearly had the right idea. A large dirty lorry passed him closely and he jumped back, frowning at the men who jumped off the back and pushed large metal receptacles up to the back before a mechanism lifted them, tilting them before lowering them again. Ichigo was fascinated by it, stopping and watching the men put the metal bins back before the vehicle moved again, more bins being pulled from an alley and emptied before it moved on, turning onto Ichigo’s street.

Ichigo shook his head as he smiled, filing that experience away with the rest. Even the smell he tried to keep a hold of, regardless that it was unpleasant. What he didn’t realise was that the refuse truck was due to empty the trash in the alley he’d come down in, and one of the jobs of the cities workers was to check the fire escapes, sending in teams to fix them or even just closing the path to the houses if it was found to be open. Ichigo was watching a group of children walking across the road, giggling and shoving each other slightly which drew a soft motion from the lead adult and was too far to hear the ladder clatter back up and when he crossed the road after the children, he headed into the park with only the thought of building up as many memories as he could, in case he didn’t have the courage to come out again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Smells, sounds and sights flooded Ichigo’s mind, too much at times and since it was his first time walking on a busy street, he tended to bump into people. A couple of times he was shoved back, Ichigo shocked that someone would treat him like that but when he took in the bustle around him he realised it was his own fault. He stepped off the street onto the grass at the start of the park, standing by a large tree and just watched the world go by. So many people yet none of them seemed to see the others, walking their own way. He saw people with headphones on walking, the cable leading to one of the flat black boxes which led him to think they were portable music centres, something he instantly wanted. He’d love to be able to enclose himself in music, having it to himself only. Someone stopped near him and started a flame in his hands, holding a white stick in his mouth to it for a moment before putting the flame out, the white stick now having a glowing end. His eyes were wide as he watched the man inhale before blowing out a puff of smoke. The man saw him watching and sent him a wink, Ichigo flushing instantly before looking away, glancing back with the corner of his eye but the man had walked on.

A couple of boys younger than him rolled past on wheeled boards, laughing loudly when people on the pavement had to jump out of their way. That made him frown as it seemed rude but he was so far out of his depth he couldn’t comment. Turning to head into the park he paused, the canopy of the trees making his path a bit darker. His instinct was to head straight home, to turn and run the short distance home. It would only take him minutes and the climb wouldn’t slow him much; he could be back sitting on his sofa in less than ten minutes. That thought gave him the courage to go forward rather than back, what harm could he get into ten minutes from his home.

The park was fairly busy, people sitting around on the grass, some young children running around with sports balls and a few dogs chasing sticks at different parts of the vast open area. There was a foot path through the middle that was lined by more trees and the perimeter had three of the large trees separating the park from the roads surrounding it. There was some high fences over to his left and a small waist high fence to the right with some children’s play equipment inside, the swings all taken and little ones on the chute and ropes. He wandered forward, astounded by the feel under his feet of the soft grass. He crouched down and ran the strands through his hands, the cool feeling making him smile. He bent lower, placing his knees on the ground so that he could lean right down and breath in the clean fresh smell of the grass. He did hear a snigger over behind him which made him look, some teenagers pointing at him and laughing. Ichigo’s eyes went wide and he looked down for a second, wondering what he’d done wrong.

“Drop something?” was shouted his way before the group moved on.

Ichigo got up quickly and returned to the slight darkness caused by the perimeter trees, walking away from the group with a little less certainty in his step. He didn’t know how to function in this world, didn’t seem to know half the world around him. He even felt a bit silly in his suit, seeing it was only older men that seemed to be dressed in them and everyone who looked about his age in casual clothes, loose or tight denim trousers and simple t-shirts and jumpers. Some of what the women wore made Ichigo look away, surprised at the amount of skin showing compared to the few females in his life.

His ears pricked up when he heard music, something he actually knew about. His steps sped up slightly and he approached the bench where three males sat around, two with guitars that were making the music he’d heard. He stood in the trees behind the bench, recognising one of the players instantly due to the bright hair. The blue haired man outside his window was smiling widely as he played with his friends, laughing as they bobbed their heads along with it. The third was perched on the back of the bench, his feet on the seat between his friends and he was just enjoying the beat.

The sound was different to what Ichigo was used to, more like the ‘noise’ Shinji played that annoyed Ichigo’s father but Ichigo liked it, it had good rhythm and he wished he had the courage to approach them, possibly even play with them. He pictured himself dressed in the denim and simple dark t-shirt like the three just perched on the end of the bench with his own guitar as he learned the notes from them. He could see there were a few groups of people on the grass opposite the bench that were listening, the people watching the group and some light applause when one tune ended before the next started.

Ichigo just watched the blue haired one, his smile infectious and his movements confident. He put down his guitar after a while, lifting a bottle and drinking from it, Ichigo’s eyes watching his throat as he swallowed. He didn’t really know what his fascination was but he itched to get a closer look to the other. He plucked up a bit of courage and walked forward, skirting the bench a bit as he glanced at his side, the blue haired one looking up and straight into Ichigo’s eyes as he passed. Ichigo felt his throat close a bit with the intense stare but he kept walking, turning his head when it became uncomfortable to look back. He headed to the grass opposite the bench and sat down alone, looking around at the people nearest him who’d given him a quick look but then turned away.

Now Ichigo had a great view of his target, getting a better sight of his friends as well. The one on the back of the bench was thin with long black hair, his smile a bit wicked and his eyes narrow as he glanced over at Ichigo, chatting to the blue haired man a bit. He’d been the other man on the metal staircase outside Ichigo’s window. The third was smaller than the other two, jaw length black hair surrounding a pale face with big green eyes standing out from it. Ichigo looked back at his blue haired fixation, taking in the pale skin and the thick, bare arms. He looked strong which gave Ichigo some goose pimples that he couldn’t explain and again he itched to be a bit closer.

Ichigo wasn’t sure what time he’d sat down but as it grew dark he did notice other people leaving and the number still sitting around greatly reducing. There were a lot of people walking and Ichigo wondered if it was work finishing time and the people were heading home for dinner. He’d never felt hungry before so had no urge to go home yet but when his obsession stood up to leave with his friends he realised he couldn’t just sit on the grass all night. He stood up as well, brushing his ass off a bit before fastening his jacket buttons and turning to leave. He decided to follow the centre path the other direction, knowing he could just follow it back to his side of the park easily. He was just starting to walk when a hand grabbed his arm, Ichigo turning sharply and jerking back, glancing around for a way to run. His mind instantly took him to the warnings his father had drilled into him: people are dangerous, they will hurt you.

He paused when he say his blue haired man standing with his hands out flat, an apologetic look on his face. “Hey, sorry, didn’t mean to startle you.” The man paused, waiting for Ichigo to say something before continuing. “I just wanted to speak to you; a loyal fan sitting for over an hour in a three piece suit deserves a little attention.”

Ichigo’s face dropped, his chin lowering and a flush sweeping over his cheeks. “I am sorry for watching. I will not bother you more.” Ichigo turned to leave, heading toward his home instead of further into the park. He wasn’t feeling adventurous any more.

The man stopped him with a thick arm, Ichigo’s eyes sitting wide with just a little fear in them. “Hey, don’t be afraid of me. I was just going to ask you for your number or something? Do you want mine?”

“What number? What for?” Ichigo was genuinely confused and it only got worse when the man in front of him got uncomfortable.

“Sorry man thought you were staring cos you saw something you liked. My bad, I’ll adjust the gaydar. Sorry to bother you.”

It was Ichigo’s turn to stop the other leaving. “No, I did see something I liked. I liked your music.”

“Ah, knew I’d caught your attention. Here I thought it was my baby blue eyes. That was you in the apartment over the road right? With the cool ass gym yeah?”

Ichigo nodded, itching to shove his hands in his pockets but his father had always said a gentleman keeps a handkerchief in his pocket, not his hands. “Yeah that was me.”

“Awesome, look we’re about to go and grab something to eat, do you want to come? I mean unless you’ve got somewhere to be.”

Ichigo shook his head, his hands clenching and unclenching as his stomach flipped. He’d never felt like that before and he wondered if it was the lack of an afternoon workout or if he was late getting his food. “I shouldn’t I’m sorry.”

“Alright, give me your number then, I’ll take you out another time.”

“What number do you want?” Ichigo was wondering if it was his address, his age or some other number he just didn’t know.

The man frowned before pulling his black box out, holding it out to Ichigo. “Your mobile number? So I can call you?”

Ichigo just looked blankly at him, glancing at the black box occasionally but he was unable to even comment.

“Did you just wake up from a coma or something? Lived in a bunker for your whole life or something? Do you seriously not know what a mobile phone is?”

Ichigo’s face was bright red; even his ears were burning with embarrassment. He glanced around, the man’s friends standing back but probably within ear shot.

“Hey kid, stop, what’s wrong? Did you hit your head or something?” He reached out and gripped Ichigo’s upper arm, turning his head to his friends who started to approach. Ichigo struggled a little but didn’t really attempt to break the solid grip.

“Grimm, thought we were going for food not picking up hot strays.” The tall thin man spoke, raising an eyebrow as he looked Ichigo up and down.

“He seems a bit confused and I was worried. Think I’ll take him home before we head out, that ok?”

The word ‘home’ made Ichigo’s head ring and he jerked away, frowning at the other’s suggestion. He’d only just got out and would only return when _he_ wanted to. “I am fine, and no you can’t have my number.” Ichigo still was a bit muddled with the idea of giving numbers but blagged it to get away. Obsession or not Ichigo wasn’t going to let a stranger dictate his actions. He turned and walked off, glancing back to see the tall man with a hand on his man’s shoulder, probably stopping him following Ichigo.

It was fully dark by the time he got away from the men and in the dark everything seemed different. All the land marks he’d been so sure of had changed or completely disappeared and he wasn’t even sure which side of the park he lived at. The made the decision for him, his bold words a moment ago notwithstanding: he was going home; even if he had to skirt the whole park to find the right street.

He headed out into the perimeter trees but stopped before he hit the pavement, the crowds different and louder. The cars were more frequent as well, bright lights coming from them and intimidating him. He decided to walk in the trees to keep out of sight but didn’t think other people would try the same thing.

He was a quarter way round the park – in the wrong direction – when he was brutally stopped, an arm coming out from a tree to his him at chest height and knock him back, only his physical grace letting him keep his feet. A man stepped out from the tree, two other appearing from the other side and a fourth approaching him from behind. Ichigo turned slightly so his back was to a tree to allow him full vision but inside he was trembling. He’d been slightly afraid of the three men on the bench, the man with the flame in his hand had been strange but in the dark surrounded by unclear but obviously aggressive men made his instincts jangle, looking for a way to escape. A click made him glance down to see a knife in one of their hands.

“Hey Guy. Bet that suit cost you a bit, why don’t we relieve you of that heavy wallet and you can go on your way.” The one that had hit him on the chest spoke and the other laughed lowly, the one with the knife getting quite close.

“I don’t have a wallet; please I’m just trying to get home.” Ichigo braced his hands on the bark behind him, turning his face away and wincing away as the men stepped closer.

“Your phone then, can’t expect us to just walk away empty handed.” The one with the knife pointed it at Ichigo’s face before he spoke, his face a sneer and his dirty teeth on show.

“I don’t have anything I swear.” Ichigo cringed into the tree as the first man approached him, fisting a handful of Ichigo’s waistcoat and pulling him up a bit.

“Hmm, who leaves the house with no money and no phone?” A hand scrabbled about Ichigo’s person, patting over his trouser pockets and his jacket. “It seems he’s telling the truth, guess we leave empty handed.” The man held out his empty hand before screwing it into a fist and thrusting it into Ichigo’s gut, Ichigo bending instantly and crying out a bit. He staggered in the man’s grip and was unprepared for the next punch to his face, snapping his head round and splitting his skin at his temple with the force. The man let Ichigo go and he sidestepped to try and keep his feet before turning to run.

“Oh no Chicken, you’re not getting away with a couple of taps. Think of it as an exchange of services, you don’t have any money we can use so we’ll just use you instead.” The first guy reached for Ichigo who prepared himself, thinking of the books he’d read on self-defence and wishing he’d learned some in real life. An arm swung for him and he ducked, screaming out and lashing out with his legs when he felt arms wrapping around him. The arms lifted him slightly and turned him away from the next swing, letting him go before returning the punch with a devastating one of their own. Ichigo took in the sight of his three men from the bench coming to his defence. He watched the blue haired one take on the first man that had hit him as the tall one took on two others. The smaller man faced off with the last, Ichigo realising he probably didn’t know about the knife in the attackers hand and he yelled out, the cry dying in his throat as the smallest one gripped the knife wielder’s wrist, turning it back on itself and twisting harshly, the knife dropping before he got a sharp kick in the ribs.

Ichigo’s three defenders made short work of the group of muggers, Ichigo standing uselessly at the side with an arm wrapped round his abdomen. He was used to moderate pain, his father used his ability at least twice a week but the dull ache was different from the sharp pain the knife used. He’d have to slice himself somewhere to heal it later. Ichigo waited as his rescuers returned to him, the blue haired one approaching him slowly before cupping his face, turning it to see the split in his temple better.

“Are you alright? They didn’t hurt you too much did they?”

Ichigo took in the bruise on the man’s jaw as well as the scraped knuckles showing he wasn’t the only one who’d been hurt. “I’m alright. Thank you for coming, how did you see it?”

The man dropped his face for a minute, a very slight blush colouring his pale skin. “Kinda followed you when you didn’t head for home; I didn’t want to see you getting hurt. Obviously left too big a gap between us though.”

Ichigo’s own blush took over his face, the hands still on his cheeks rubbing them slightly with the thumbs. “Thank you, I’m sorry you got hurt.”

“Tch, this isn’t hurt. Come on, let’s get something to eat. It’s the least you can do, after we so bravely rescued you.” The hands left Ichigo’s face and one arm wrapped itself around his shoulder to hold him against the slightly taller body.

Ichigo’s face was flushed as they walked, the man at his side accepting the guitar case off his smaller friend from the side of the road. The three friends spoke a little as they walked, nothing direct at Ichigo though he was mentioned.

Crossing the main road onto the buildings side of the street, the group headed into a red trimmed café, Ichigo looking around as they walked in, pausing as the smells hit him.

“Hey, you ok?” His escort paused when he did, turning with his wide smile in place which made Ichigo move again, letting the other pull him towards the booth the other two were sitting at. Ichigo slid into the bench seat, his saviour sitting by his side a moment later before grabbing one of the laminated menus and sitting it on the table in front of both of them. “Mmm nothing like greasy shit to fill a stomach after a fight ne?”

Ichigo turned to the other, eyes wide from hearing the language he used. He turned back to the card in front of him, the pictures of the plates the café offered showing things he’d never seen before. A girl with a whiteish apron around her waist stopped by the table a moment later asking for drinks orders. The three friends all ordered sodas but Ichigo just asked for a water, not having ever tasted the drinks the others wanted.

“Hey, you seem a bit freaked out still. Talk to us.”

“I’m sitting in a strange place, with strange food with three strangers. How am I supposed to feel?”

“Well I can vouch for the place, cheap, quick and tasty. The food is just burgers and crap so nothing unusual there. As for us, I’m Grimmjow. The lanky fucker is Nnoitra and this is Ulquiorra. Nnoi’s the really strange one though.”

“My name is Ichigo.” Ichigo was still staring at the food offers, seeing the picture for a burger and noting it looked like beef in a bread roll, nothing too different there. The ‘fries’ puzzled him, they looked like julienne parsnips or potatoes but he was used to having different types of vegetables so he was sure it would be fine. His water was plonked in front of him, three glasses of brown carbonated drink put in front of the others before the waitress asked for the food order, Ichigo quietly asking for a burger and fries when it was his turn, the waitress heading away when the order was complete.

“So Ichigo, what do you do? You’re quite well dressed for our age; you must be nineteen; twenty maybe?”

“I’m seventeen.” Ichigo studied the chipped table surface when the three incredulous gazes turned on him.

“Seventeen? Man you need a new wardrobe. You on internship at a law office or something?”

Ichigo at least knew what the other had said thanks to Shinji’s constant complaints of his father’s will. “No, I don’t work.”

“Ah, still at school? That sucks, we graduated last year. Where you headed next year? We’re all at Karakura U. Would be good to see you around campus.”

“I’ll not be going to university.” Ichigo didn’t like all the questions but he was trapped in his seat, unable to escape.

“Ah, not got the grades?”

“No, I’m already nearly finished my bachelors. I got my high school diploma two years ago.”

“Knew you were a brainiac. No one could pull off that suit and not have brains. So what’s your course?”

“Music studies and history.”

Grimmjow glanced over the table at his friends, getting a little frustrated at the lack of decent response but he kept at it. “Kiorra’s doing music; you guys should compare notes since you’re a year ahead of him. Bet that sucks eh Kiorra, a seventeen year old prodigy will graduate before you.”

“All it means is more brilliant music in the world so I have no complaints.”

“What do you study Grimmjow? And Nnoitra?” Ichigo made the polite question quietly but Grimmjow’s answering grin made it worth it.

“I’m doing engineering, wasn’t allowed to pursue music, my dad’s convinced it’s a dead end. Nnoi here is in with a basketball scholarship studying fuck all.”

“Fuck you Grimm. I’m doing business; want to be my own boss one day. So, will we see you round the campus some days, I know this blue haired mother fucker will stalk your ass if not.”

Ichigo dropped his gaze again, picking at the plastic coating on the table. “No, I do distance learning from home. I have tutors that come to me.”

“Fucking computer degree? I take it daddy is rolling in it?”

“Computer? Rolling in what?” Ichigo made the questions so clear, so evident that he didn’t understand them that the others paused.

“Computer? Magic box that thinks? Seriously what rock have you been living under?” Nnoitra frowned at him, leaning back and staring at the strange man in front of him.

Ichigo looked between the three faces, a bright blush on his face before he dropped his gaze. “This is my first day out of my home. I’d never even seen grass before and you all know so much more than me. I think I just want to go back now.”

Grimmjow sat up straight, exchanging glances with his friends before pulling Ichigo’s chin up. “Seriously? You’ve never been outside before? And I take it you don’t have a computer, a phone or the internet up in that swanky place? Shit no wonder you were scared in the park.” Grimmjow wrapped an arm around Ichigo again, pulling him gently into his side and Ichigo accepted the comfort, something that was so alien to him. Grimmjow felt his hand creep onto Grimmjow’s t-shirt, taking a handful and holding it tight as his head pressed into Grimmjow’s shoulder.

“H-how? How the fuck does someone keep you like that?” Nnoitra’s mouth opened and shut a few times before he was able to talk.

“My father just wants me safe, and after today I fully understand.”

Their food landed on their table a moment later, Ichigo lifting his head to take in the sight of Nnoitra’s burrito, Grimmjow’s fully laden burger and Ulquiorra’s meatball sub, all with fries on the side. His own burger was smaller than Grimmjow’s but still bigger than anything he’d had before. His dinner that night was to be salmon and cracked bulgar wheat, this was a little different. He turned to face his food; Grimmjow’s arm still wrapped round him and glanced around. Grimmjow nodded towards his food, reaching out his other hand to snag a fry off his plate. Ichigo copied, nibbling with his eyes wide at the flavour. One fry became five, each one chomped bit by bit into Ichigo’s mouth. Then Grimmjow lifted his arm free to tackle his big burger, Ichigo copying him again, picking up the roll in both hands before lifting it, getting the bottom bun on his bottom teeth before tilting the rest into his mouth and biting down. He let out an involuntary moan, loud enough to draw a chuckle from his dining companions and he glanced around, face flushed again.

“Good burger?” Grimmjow had already swallowed his first bite and had watched Ichigo’s facial expressions during his.

“First burger, it’s amazing.”

Nnoitra snorted, his wrap in his hands. “Fuck what the hell do you eat?”

Ichigo shrugged, taking a smaller bite and chewing it before swallowing. “Fish and grain, high protein, low fat things mainly. I’ve never heard of anything that was on that card.”

“Shit never go back fucker. Some asshole tried to make me eat that hamster food once, no thank you.” Nnoitra took another bite out of his dripping burrito, his long tongue snaking out to catch a bit of sauce on his cheek.

Grimmjow was a bit quiet for a while, enjoying Ichigo’s moans of pleasure from eating his meal and thinking of what kind of life he must have led, and what kind of culture shock he must be having. “Are you going back? We can help you out you know; you don’t have to go back to that cage.”

Ichigo put his burger down for a moment, wiping his hands as he thought for a moment. “I can see why you’d call it a cage but it’s not, I have everything I’ve ever wanted.”

“Obviously not.” Ulquiorra had been fairly quiet until then. Ichigo frowned for a second before Ulquiorra continued. “If you had everything, why did you leave?”


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Ichigo quietly finished his meal, not clearing his plate as there was a lot but he could definitely say he’d enjoyed it. He wiped his face with his paper napkin before folding it and sliding it under the rim of his plate. Nnoitra watched him, snorting at the display of manners but not saying anything. The three men didn’t really know what _to_ say. Except to ask about the elephant in the room, none of them had plucked up the courage to ask for a reason for this man’s solitude, especially since it was as long as he could remember.

“So, why were you at my window anyway? I’ve never seen anyone there before.” Ichigo had wanted to know for a while and really wanted to break the silence.

“Just a bit of free running really. We were due to meet Kiorra in the park but were running a bit late so took a shortcut over the buildings rather than round them.”

“What’s free running?” Ichigo turned his body to face Grimmjow, blushing a bit when one of Grimmjow’s large hands rested on his knee.

“You know, parkour. Actually no you don’t know do you? It’s a thing where people throw themselves around a built up area, doing stunts and gymnastics and stuff. We’re just amateurs really. Some of the guys drop distances that would make you puke.”

“And that’s fun?” Ichigo’s eyes bugged out a bit at the idea of throwing himself off buildings for fun.

Grimmjow grinned before turning to his friends, Nnoitra laughing at Ichigo’s expense. “It’s like talking to a child isn’t it?” Nnoitra spoke over Ichigo, treating him like a child as well.

Ulquiorra shook his head at the tall man at his side. “You mean you can’t quite understand his perspective. Though it must be nice not to be the most naïve in the group for once.”

Ichigo’s face was bright again, dropped low and looking at his knees. Grimmjow squeezed the one his hand was on, drawing Ichigo’s gaze. Grimmjow’s lazy smile made Ichigo’s breath catch for a moment, reason unknown to the confused boy and he felt his face reciprocate automatically. “I think it’s cute actually, sorry if that insults you. It’s nice to chat to someone not jaded and sullen. How did the grass feel?”

Ichigo’s eyebrows leapt up, his eyes wide as he remembered the cool strands between his fingers. “Like holding water between my fingers. Cool and fresh. And it smells like it looks: green.”

“Anything else you want to feel?” Grimmjow didn’t intend the innuendo and was surprised when Ichigo’s face didn’t redden like it had so much previously.

“Sand, I was never allowed a sand box as a child. And I want to climb a tree, just to try it.”

Grimmjow dropped his head against the booth’s back at the innocent requests, feeling charmed by the other’s enthusiasm. “I’ll take you to build sand castles on the beach if you want.”

Ichigo’s eyes looked glassy, the emotion in him becoming too much.

“Shit, he’s gonna cry just from that. Ow, fucker.” Nnoitra scowled at Ulquiorra before rubbing at his shin.

“Why would you do that for me? You don’t know me and I’m just some stranger.” Ichigo leaned forward, his hand itching to touch the other but he held it back. He’d already had more physical contact in one evening than he’d had in years.

“I like you, I thought you were hot in your gym; gorgeous on the grass listening to us and I have never wanted to protect someone as much as I have with you, the stranger I’ve just met.” Grimmjow reached out his other hand and stroked Ichigo’s cheek. “Plus if you go back into your cage I can’t date you.”

Ichigo frowned and pulled up sharply, shocked by the other’s admission. “But I’m a man.”

Grimmjow raised an eyebrow before glancing over at his friends. Nnoitra looked as confused as him but Ulquiorra seemed to understand.

“Ichigo, you do know that it’s not just a man and a woman that can be together? Two men, two women, more than that if that’s their preference. It’s alright.”

Ichigo’s frown didn’t leave him and he looked at Grimmjow again, wondering if the fluttering and goose bumps came from attraction, the thing he’d been taught happened between a man and a woman only. “But, how can there be children?”

Nnoitra couldn’t hold it in any more, laughing coarsely and loudly. “There can’t but not for want of trying. This guy is great; we need to keep him around.”

Ichigo turned to Grimmjow again, looking at his face in detail, the high cheekbones and pure blue eyes bringing out that flutter in his chest again. He felt it in his stomach as well and he lifted a hand to rest it on Grimmjow’s one on his knee. He gently stroked the pale skin, running his fingers in the valleys made by the tendons from the fingers. Grimmjow turned his hand over, Ichigo now running his fingers over Grimmjow’s palm and between the long digits. When they were interlaced with Ichigo’s Grimmjow closed his fist, holding Ichigo’s hand gently. He pulled it towards him and placed a gentle kiss on the back of Ichigo’s hand. “Like that?” Ichigo could only nod, not able to use his voice for a moment.

“Then you like cock pretty boy.”

“Cock?”

That drew laughter from even Ulquiorra. “Erm, it’s a coarse word for a penis Ichigo.”

Ichigo’s head tilted a bit, his eyes subconsciously flicking to Grimmjow’s crotch. “What’s that got to do with anything?”

“Well when he tries to stick it in you I’m sure you’re figure it out.”

Grimmjow’s hands snapped to Ichigo’s ears before Nnoitra could finish, a deep scowl aimed at his friend. “The kid doesn’t even know the word cock; I doubt very much he’s heard of anal before. Just leave it.” Grimmjow half whispered as he spoke, Ichigo’s head pressed against his chest a bit.

“So what musical instruments do you play Ichigo?” Ulquiorra was always a good one for changing the subject.

_iiiiiii_

Ichigo was surprised when the three men pulled wallets out and produced paper money to pay for their food. Grimmjow hadn’t mentioned him paying his way but Nnoitra had muttered something about paying for ‘Grimmjow’s bitch’ which led to another question from Ichigo that Grimmjow wouldn’t let Nnoitra answer.

The men walked comfortably in the night, Ichigo holding Grimmjow’s hand again a little self-consciously.

“You never did say what drew you out. Couldn’t have been Grimm’s baby blues.”

Ichigo looked up at the dark sky, inhaling the air before answering. “I asked my father if I could go see the burning sky but he said no, said it was too dangerous. Then I asked my friend if we could watch it from the roof but I really wanted to see it, not just the glow in the dark.”

“The burning sky?” Grimmjow looked down and met Ichigo’s eyes, giving him a crooked grin when he’d finished talking.

“Yeah, tomorrow night? Fifteenth of July? There are massive fires in the park every year and I’ve always wanted to see them.”

“You mean the Shiba fires? I used to go when I was a kid with my parents and my mum always got upset.” Grimmjow loosened their fingers and wrapped his arm around Ichigo’s shoulders, holding him closer.

“Why would she get upset? Are they scary?”

“No, they’re lit to remember a lost baby and his mother. Shiba incorporated is a massive business and when its co-president was pregnant everybody knew about it and was waiting. It was the closest thing to a royal birth we’d ever get. It helped that I was only a baby at the time so my mum sympathised with the mother to be. She was in an accident that claimed the life of the baby as well I think, can’t really remember the details. Anyway the President of the company has the fires lit every year to remember his lost family; I guess my mum just got emotional at the thought of the lost child and mother.”

“That’s awful.” Ichigo regretted ever asking to go and see such a sorrowful occasion. It must have shown on his face as well.

“Hey, it’s gorgeous and we have to go.”

“It’s my birthday tomorrow.” Ichigo only mentioned it on the side, he’d never had a big deal made for his birthday anyway and had assumed it to be just another day. His companions stopped dead, Ichigo looking up at Grimmjow in surprise.

“It’s your eighteenth birthday _tomorrow_?” Grimmjow enunciated each word clearly as if he couldn’t believe them.

“Yes, I was supposed to go to the roof with my friend Shinji to watch the fires. I hope he isn’t too upset with me if I’m not there.”

“And your father? When you don’t come home? I’m just wondering if there will be police out looking for you tonight.”

“I’ll not be missed until eleven tomorrow morning. My trainer is the first person I see in the morning.”

“Your dad doesn’t live with you?” Kiorra asked that question, surprise in his voice as well.

“No, I’ve always lived alone, since I could be left alone anyway.”

“Which was?” Ulquiorra’s question was said with gravity but Ichigo didn’t seem to notice.

“Ten. I used to have a morning tutor who’d make me breakfast so there was someone there in the morning and my afternoon tutor stayed to make me dinner. After I was big enough to make my own I’ve only had a morning trainer and an afternoon tutor.”

“And you’re alone the rest of the time?”

Ichigo just nodded, looking round the bright lights of the area they’d walked into. It was a more lively part of the city, some night life around with tables outside bars and people walking in pairs and groups like theirs. The noise surprised Ichigo, having only experienced it from twelve stories up where it was very quiet.

“We need to do something tomorrow then.” Grimmjow held him a little closer, leaning a cheek onto Ichigo’s orange spikes for a second before relaxing again.

“Eh, rein it in a bit though Grimm. We’re not made of money.” Nnoitra could see his friend had fallen head over heels for the strange guy but Nnoitra wasn’t paying for him.

“If I could get in touch with my friend Shinji he’d give me some money.”

“Stupid question but do you have his number?” Grimmjow knew it was unlikely but he only knew of one Shinji in the city, and he wasn’t exactly on chatty terms with the socialite.

“No, his name is Shinji Hirako. He’s always come to me on arrangement in person.”

Grimmjow grimaced at the name, the wealthy icon a large part of the city’s celebrity core. He was a notorious flirt and had a poor reputation that was never mentioned due to his father’s position. He was also known for flashing the cash so Ichigo was probably telling the truth. His place was also not a secret so Grimmjow _could_ get there, if he had to. “And you trust this guy? Or will he just have me arrested and call your dad?”

“No, Shinji’s my best friend. He’s quite protective of me but that’s only because we’ve known each other forever.”

“Right then, we can go and see him if you think he’ll talk to you and help you out. You need some money to get you sorted. It’s a good thing you’re birthday is tomorrow, your dad can’t take you back if you don’t want to go and you’re an adult.”

Grimmjow handed his guitar over to Nnoitra to take back to the flat he shared with the other saying he’d be back later on. He also asked him to check on their flat mate Starrk, the new name drawing a question from Ichigo.

“The four of us all share the flat, we have our own rooms though and I’m the one with the attached shower room so we’re sorted. I hope you’ll be comfortable there.”

“Where will I sleep?” Ichigo raised his hand to stroke Grimmjow’s on his shoulder, loosely lacing their fingers again.

“Well there is a couch in the living room. Or you can sleep next to me?” Grimmjow had to take a breath at the shy smile and nod Ichigo sent his way.

Shinji lived on Park Way, a street off the park the two had met in so the walk wasn’t ridiculous but they enjoyed the quiet time together, their bodies pressing against each other more with every step. As they turned onto the right street Grimmjow stopped for a moment, drawing Ichigo in front of him and Grimmjow stroking the soft hair at the back of his head.

“I’ve wanted to do this for hours.” Grimmjow’s other hand raised Ichigo’s chin a bit before he tilted his own head and pressed slightly open lips against Ichigo’s. Ichigo instantly inhaled, a small whimper getting released as he grabbed handfuls of Grimmjow’s t-shirt. The kiss stayed simple for a second, just the firm press of warm lips but Grimmjow moved slightly, deepening the kiss and moving his jaw. Ichigo kept up the best he could and Grimmjow swallowed his gentle cries at the new feelings. When Grimmjow’s tongue softly ran over Ichigo’s lips Ichigo hesitantly met it with his, rubbing the rough sides together. Grimmjow let out a groan at the first proper taste of the other and wrapped his arms around Ichigo properly, pulling their fronts into alignment better, Ichigo bending back at the waist a bit.

Ichigo had to break away when his chest felt like it was going to burst; gasping for breath when their lips parted and his wide eyes searched Grimmjow’s for an answer to the millions of question in his mind.

“Well my dear that blew my mind so I don’t know how you’re coping.” Grimmjow’s voice showed he was also a bit breathless. Ichigo just nodded a bit fast, lifting a hand to touch his own lips. “Can I ask if that was you’re first kiss?” Ichigo nodded again. “Baby if you liked that I can definitely show you more.”

Ichigo was tucked back against Grimmjow’s side, still speechless as they walked among the grand town houses. The ground there was immaculate, none of the strange greyish white patches where people had spat chewing gum and nice delicate trees planted in the slabs evenly along the street. Grimmjow glanced at the plates on the doors, stopping at the one with the correct surname and pulling Ichigo up the eight steps to the door. There was a metal staircase leaving the pavement to spiral down a storey and led to the servant’s quarters. Servants were a thing of the past but the exteriors of the old buildings hadn’t changed. Grimmjow rang the doorbell and disengaged from Ichigo, giving his hand a squeeze before dropping it as well.

An older man in a suit opened the door, asking if he could help them.

“Hi, eh this is Ichigo Kurosaki and I’m Grimmjow. He’s good friends with Shinji and was hoping to see him?” Grimmjow wasn’t exactly used to talking to a butler, if that’s who the man was.

They were invited into the house, asked to wait in the hall while ‘Master Hirako’ was summoned. Shinji appeared a moment later with panic on his face, a golf club in one hand as he flew down the stair case dressed simply in a white shirt and pale trousers. He reached out a hand and grabbed Ichigo’s wrist, pulling him away from Grimmjow and behind himself, the golf club extended towards Grimmjow threateningly, but shaking.

“Get out, leave him alone. I’ll use it I swear. One scream and the police will be called.” Shinji held the club with both hands but was still unable to hold it still. Grimmjow put both hands up and tried to calm the other with a gesture but it just made Shinji swing the club a bit.

“Shinji, it’s alright. He’s my friend.” Ichigo put a hand on Shinji’s shoulder, drawing the blond’s attention straight away: Ichigo had never initiated contact before.

“What the hell are you doing outside? Shit!” Shinji had turned towards Ichigo before realising who he was talking to and covering his mouth in case of spreading germs. “Are you alright? Do you feel feverish? Shit does your head hurt? Do you need to lie down? Should I call an ambulance? Is that _blood?”_ Shinji’s voice increased in panic as he spoke the club no longer getting pointed at Grimmjow as Shinji backed from his friend.

“I’m fine, it’s fine. Calm down please?” Ichigo reached out a hand for the club, not taking his eyes off Shinji’s as he relieved him of his weapon.

“But, you’re outside; you can’t be outside, you’ll die.” Shinji was tearing up and shaking as the adrenaline left his body. He’d panicked as soon as he’d heard Ichigo was at his door with an unknown male and had rushed to his best friend’s defence. He had plenty of ‘normal’ friends but none he could be himself around, none that didn’t judge him for every little thing.

Grimmjow’s eyebrows leapt to his hair line and he was instantly worried for Ichigo. Clearly this friend knew something he didn’t. “What? Die?” When he spoke he drew Shinji’s attention which made the blond scowl his way and straighten himself out a bit more.

“Yes dipshit, die. Ichigo isn’t allowed outside for his health, _you_ could even kill him with whatever germs you’re carrying.”

Grimmjow felt his shoulders push back instinctively at the insinuation that he was _dirty_. He turned to Ichigo to get some sense out of him. “Ichigo?”

“Can we sit and talk about this?”

Shinji pulled them into a luxurious sitting room, modern furniture among antiques and paintings lining the walls. It was what would have been called a drawing room a hundred years ago. Grimmjow sat next to Ichigo, Shinji opposite them on a different sofa with his hands pulling at each other. Both looked to Ichigo to explain what was going on.

“First of all I’m not going to die from being outside. That was what my father made up as a reason for me not leaving.” Shinji instantly frowned at getting lied to. “It was the simplest explanation when you were ten Shin so don’t worry about it, I wanted to tell you but my father wouldn’t let me.”

“So why are you out? And who the fuck is the blue haired ape at your side?”

Ichigo was a bit surprised at the language his friend was using, curse words not part of his vocabulary and he didn’t know the definition of them. “This is Grimmjow; he was on my outside stairs and released the bottom set, letting me out. I wanted to go and see the fires, you know that.”

“Alright, I see the motive, and the how. You’ve still not answered why he’s here.”

Ichigo flushed, glancing over at Grimmjow for a second before dropping his face again.

“Ah, I see. Can I admit to being a bit disappointed? I’d always hoped you’d turn to me if you realised you were gay.” Shinji rolled his eyes at Ichigo’s head tilt. He was used to them when he used something he shouldn’t but at least he could explain that time. “Attracted to men.”

“Gay?”

“Gay, me too. When you weren’t enamoured with dear Orihime’s attributes I guessed you might be batting for the other team, which means gay by the way.”

Ichigo just nodded, following along. He wasn’t stupid and he learned quickly so the new information didn’t overwhelm him.

“How are you coping with the big wild world?”

Ichigo shrugged, rubbing at his abdomen a bit, the ache from his attack still there. “Some of it is amazing, I can’t believe it. The smells, the grass and all the people!”

“Wait till it rains, you’re going to go nuts.” Shinji gave him a wide smile when Ichigo’s eyes lit up. “And I take it from the blood on your temple it’s not all been sunshine and rainbows?”

Grimmjow answered for him. “Ichigo ran into some trouble at the park. Me and my friends stepped in to deal with it.”

“Ah, so you’re a white knight. I am starting to understand. And boy are you a lucky boy Ichigo. So why are you here? Looking for somewhere to hide out because you know your dad will probably check here first.”

“No, I was hoping you’d help me out a bit. I’ve not got anything and Grimmjow’s already had to buy me some food.”

“Money? You came to me for money? Oh honey you know you don’t have to ask. What about clothes? Do you have anything other than your YSL?”

Grimmjow’s eyes bugged out when he realised Shinji was referring to the suit Ichigo was wearing. He didn’t want to know how much it had cost. He knew the hand bags were two month’s wages from Starrk’s high maintenance girlfriend. Ichigo shook his head which made Shinji’s eyes roll.

“I don’t know if my stuff will fit your legs but it’ll be better than anything King Kong can loan you. You can pick up trousers that fit you better in a bit. Can I ask, are you going back?”

Ichigo hesitated; his instinctive reaction was to say yes. He’d intended to return for his trainer then to leave whenever he wanted to but that option was only valid if he returned the next day and was unmissed. It also meant he would have to miss the fires but Grimmjow could come to him in the evenings and he could meet up with him all he wanted. “I don’t know. I know I’ll have to decide quickly but I don’t know if I belong out here.”

“Will you be happy there now that you’ve been out? I know you know as much as a five year old does when it comes to actually living but you’ll catch up. Hell go and buy a phone tomorrow and you’ll be sorted by Monday. I’ll be there for you whatever you decide and if you choose to stay out I’ll forget this visit if I’m asked, I never saw you.”

“Thank you Shinji.”

The two younger men left Grimmjow for a moment to raid Shinji’s wardrobe to get Ichigo some things to wear as well as some necessary supplies. Shinji was only away for fifteen minutes before he came back downstairs, sitting opposite Grimmjow again. “He’s getting changed. I’ve given him some essentials but you’ll have to make sure he knows what he’s doing. Do you realise what _you’re_ doing? Taking responsibility for him won’t be easy.” Shinji pulled a wad of notes out of his back pocket. Grimmjow’s eyes were wide when he reached out to take it. “If I thought I could trust him with it I’d not be handing it to you. He’s never paid for anything in his life, doesn’t know the value of money really. He always had everything bought for him so you need to take care of this. If I find out you’ve ditched him and kept the money I’ll have my father lock you away until you’re grey.”

“Believe me or not I would never do that. If I didn’t feel like I did I’d still try to help him out. My friends offered as well, to help him start over and get a real life.”

“So you weren’t just sitting close on the sofa? You do know he’s never even been kissed before?”

Grimmjow’s feral grin made Shinji roll his eyes. “Not anymore.”

“Fine, whatever. But seriously I don’t think he even knows about hetero sex. He mentioned something about not wanting to be married and did definitely say he thought man and wife had separate bedrooms. Do not hurt him.”

“Oh I promise I don’t intend to hurt him. I intend to show him everything. Already promised him a trip to the beach.”

“It won’t all be fun exciting new experiences; it’ll be battling with his programed responses and stupid actions. He won’t be afraid of things the way he should be and he won’t be able to take responsibility for anything for ages. It’s a commitment you know? I can take it from you. He’s eighteen tomorrow and my father should support me in keeping him away from his dad. Honestly I’ve never liked the man, gives me the creeps.”

“Yeah, I wonder why the hell he kept Ichigo the way he did. Do you think he ever did anything to him?”

Shinji didn’t get a chance to answer before Ichigo came down the stairs, Grimmjow’s eyes going wide at the transformation. The skinny grey jeans clung to his long legs making him seem taller. A loose white t-shirt covered his top half and a black hoodie was over it, a black and white scarf round his neck. “I tried to dress him so he’d fit in with you and your friends but he just looks like he’s in someone else’s clothes.”

“He looks amazing.”

Shinji gave Grimmjow a sideways glance, realising his feelings were deeper than any of them had thought. Ichigo had a black duffle bag on his shoulder and he clung to the strap as the other two men stared at him. “Put the hood up to cover your hair. I promise there is no one else in the city with hair like it. Dead giveaway.” Shinji pulled it up, the large hood shadowing Ichigo’s face a bit, framing his delicate features. His weren’t as sharp and protruding as Grimmjow’s but his eyes were larger and stood out from the rest. “I gave Grimmjow my pocket money so he can take care of you but come back if you need more. You can stay if you want though.”

Ichigo looked up at Grimmjow, the man at his side. Grimmjow didn’t say anything, wanting Ichigo to choose for himself. Ichigo looked back at Shinji before shaking his head. “No, I’ll be fine. And thank you Shinji.”

“I’ll be out at the fires tomorrow night, look out for me if you want. And my card is in with the money Grimmjow so if you need to get in touch with me then please do.”

Ichigo looked at his only friend, giving him a soft smile before he left with Grimmjow, the bag on his shoulder not heavy but he’d never walked with a bag before and he didn’t like the way it bumped his legs. Grimmjow reached out and pulled it from him, slinging it on his own shoulder and behind his back. He walked easily enough with is so Ichigo didn’t argue, taking his other hand comfortably and walking side by side. “Ready to go back to mine?” Grimmjow glanced down at him, a light look in his eyes and a half smile on his face. Ichigo nodded and leaned his cheek against Grimmjow’s shoulder. He was tired from his adventures from the day and couldn’t wait to be tucked at the other’s side in bed. He didn’t quite realise the other activities they could get up to side by side in bed.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Ichigo shrink in beside his new friend as they walked, exhaustion laying on him thick from his exhilarating day. Grimmjow tucked him in and just walked the distance to his flat. He did feel the other lean more heavily into him as they walked and he bet the other had never walked as far as he had that day before. Shinji had loaned him a pair of trainers but Grimmjow wasn’t sure how well they fit. He was going to take the other for a bit of shopping the next day, it was the kid’s birthday anyway.

Grimmjow lived in a third floor apartment with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, one attached to his bedroom. He shared it with his two friends Ichigo had met earlier that day as well as their mutual friend Starrk who was a bit older than the other boys. Ichigo mounted the three flights of stairs without complaint and waited as Grimmjow pulled his keys out and unlocked the door. Grimmjow pushed the door open and gestured for Ichigo to enter the flat before following him.

“Hey, they’re back!” Nnoitra was laid out on a greenish grey sofa, his long legs hanging off one of the arms as he leaned his head back on a cushion. His attention was focused on the television which drew Ichigo to look where he was looking, his mouth dropping at the sight of the moving pictures. He approached it and stood right in Nnoitra’s way. “Oi, just cos you’re a guest doesn’t mean you can hog the TV!”

Ichigo turned to the man. “TV?”

“Shit, Grimm I’m leaving it to you. I’ll be in my room if you need me.” Nnoitra picked the remote up and stopped his show playing from the streaming service before tossing the remote onto the sofa he stood up from and walked off to the other side of the room to disappear round a corner.

Ichigo looked over at Grimmjow who just sighed before dumping Ichigo’s bag and approaching the other. “Will we start with television?”

_iiiiii_

Ichigo sat on the sofa with his legs pulled up to his front, knees spread and his feet at his ass. His elbows sat on the spread knees and his eyes sat wide as he followed Grimmjow’s explanation of the television. He moved onto computers and showed Ichigo how his phone worked, pulling up the browser and getting Ichigo to ask it random questions.

“How is it you’ve managed to avoid this crap for eighteen years? No TV I can understand but never having heard of it? And the internet and computers? How do you do your school work?”

“In a jotter or notepad I guess. I’ve heard of typewriters and print presses, I do have a load of printed books but I didn’t know how far it had gone without me.”

“No fiction books that mention it at all?”

“No, most of my story books are set in the past or in alternative worlds.”

Grimmjow sat next to Ichigo with his feet propped on the chipped wooden coffee table. “If you think about it, imagine how hard it must have been for your dad to keep you so ignorant of it all. Everything is digital nowadays, everything computerised. All the tutors and trainers you’ve mentioned? They’ll all have a phone in their pockets. And unless they are over thirty, they’ll have been surrounded by it all for their entire lives. You know, your dad’s a bit of an ass for doing that to you.”

Ichigo frowned, not liking the slur against his father. “I’m sure it was for a good reason. He just wants to keep me safe so maybe he was just trying to make sure I wasn’t found. These social media things you’ve shown me don’t really look like the kind of thing a person hiding would use.”

Grimmjow stretched, rolling his back so that a line of skin was shown at his belly button. He draped long arms along the couch back, one behind Ichigo funnily enough. “But why is he hiding you? It’s not the bullshit disease Hirako knew about.”

“Not exactly but it’s something that doesn’t need to be known about. It’s difficult to explain.”

Grimmjow watched Ichigo shrink into himself, clearly that topic of conversation was a bit tender. “Hey, you can tell me later, or not. The days of you doing what you are told are over. I want you comfortable and happy.”

Ichigo looked over at Grimmjow with his eyes wide. “How about tomorrow?”

Grimmjow gave him a wide smile, lifting the hand behind Ichigo to stroke his hair gently. “Sounds good.”

Both men looked up at the sound of Ulquiorra’s voice. “Grimm, Nnoi; anybody really!”

Grimmjow got up quickly and ran towards his flatmate’s voice, Ichigo following a bit slower. They arrived at the bathroom, Ulquiorra supporting a larger brown haired male at the toilet where he’d been unsuccessfully trying to vomit into. The mess covered the two men as well as the floor and ceramic and the unknown man was unconscious in Ulquiorra’s arms. Ulquiorra was turning a bit green himself and was twisted round and leaning against the bath tub. “Help.”

Nnoitra was there a heartbeat after Grimmjow and darted in with him, Grimmjow and Nnoitra lifting the unconscious male to allow Ulquiorra to escape. They lifted him and deposited him straight into the tub, Nnoitra slipping a bit in the mess on the floor. Ulquiorra stripped out of his t-shirt that held most of the mess and wiped his jeans to stop him dripping on the way to his room. His face was drawn into a grimace but he went about getting sorted mechanically, as if he was used to it.

Ichigo stood and watched the two larger males strip the body in the tub back to his boxers, the clothes getting tossed onto a clean part of the floor to be dealt with later. Grimmjow stripped out of his own t-shirt, tossing it out of the room before he supported the unconscious male’s head to allow Nnoitra to start hosing him down. They rinsed his hair out, his face being gently wiped by Grimmjow with a cloth. Ulquiorra appeared a few minutes later, his hair damp and his clothes changed and he gathered up the messed clothing to take it to be washed.

It only took twenty minutes but soon the unknown male was tucked into his bed, pyjamas on and all the mess was cleared off the floor, out of the bath and was getting out of the clothes as the three men returned to the living room. Ichigo had retreated back to the sofa when he got in the way and he tried to make himself as small as possible when the others joined him. Grimmjow sat next to him again, an arm round Ichigo to pull him in as Nnoitra collapsed at his side. Ulquiorra took a small arm chair at Ichigo’s side and the four sat in silence for a second.

“Bad day then?” Grimmjow directed the question at Ulquiorra who nodded.

“Yeah, he said he felt alright when I came home but I didn’t buy it. He was scratching like mad and he’d not eaten anything all day as far as I could see. Considering I would have worn it I was almost glad.”

“Shit, his next appointment is?” Nnoitra’s head was against the back of the sofa and he didn’t lift it to speak.

“Two weeks. I reckon they’ll be more often now though when they see the state of him.” Grimmjow nuzzled Ichigo’s hair, the other accepting the touch. Ichigo held Grimmjow’s wrist that was around his front and looked at the other two for some sort of explanation.

“What’s wrong with him?”

“Kidney disease. End stages. We’ve been waiting for a transplant for eight months but none are coming. And none of us are matches.” Grimmjow sighed as he spoke, resting his cheek on Ichigo’s head.

“And his family? Why isn’t he with his parents?”

“ _We’re_ his family. Starrk’s parents split when he was young and his mum died when he was fourteen. He lived with one or another of us till he finished high school and we got this place together when we left. Starrk got held back a bit at school cos he was ill and he’s been doing online courses when he’s been well enough.”

Ulquiorra took his leave, citing too much excitement for one night and Nnoitra wasn’t far behind him, leaving Grimmjow and Ichigo alone on the couch. “You tired?”

Ichigo pulled the sleeve of his borrowed hoodie up to look at his watch. His eyes bugged out when he saw the time; he’d never seen it past midnight before. “I suppose so. I don’t really know what to think. My mind is buzzing.”

Grimmjow stroked Ichigo’s hair, smiling when the other pushed into his hand. “I bet it is. I’d love to get inside your head for just a moment. Don’t know how you’re managing to stay so calm.”

“Because I’ve got you.” Ichigo gently pulled Grimmjow’s hand from his head and enclosed it with his own on his laps. Grimmjow’s smile widened and leaned in, Ichigo tilting his head and raising his chin to touch their lips. They broke away after a second, Grimmjow smiling widely at the light blush on the other’s face. “Have you ever been in love Grimmjow?”

That threw the larger man, that kind of question didn’t usually come out of someone the _day_ he met them. Then again those people had lived in the modern world for more than a day. “I’m not sure. I’ve said it before but I don’t know if I meant it in the way you’re thinking. Why do you ask?”

“I’ve read about it, read about people meeting someone and feeling like they want to spend the rest of their lives together and things like that. But it was always a man and a woman. I know Ulquiorra said it was alright for two men but I still don’t understand.”

Grimmjow lifted his hand out of Ichigo’s and wrapped it round his shoulders. “Which part, the love thing or the sex?” He had to ask, it was clear Ichigo was going to skirt around it.

Ichigo faint blush deepened. “I’m just trying to understand what I’m feeling.” His chin dropped and a lost look took over his eyes. “You are different to me to everyone else I’ve ever met.”

Grimmjow raised Ichigo’s chin with a crooked finger and smiled gently at him, Ichigo just staring back with huge eyes. “You’re special to me too. I can’t tell you what you’re feeling, I hope attraction? Maybe a bit of want? That’s how I feel anyway.”

“I feel like I’m too hot. And itchy. And I want to touch you.”

Grimmjow smirked at that statement. “Touch all you want.” Grimmjow pulled him up with the arm round his shoulders, easing Ichigo’s leg over his so the smaller man straddled him. He heard Ichigo take in a sharp breath as he settled with his hands rested on Grimmjow’s shoulders for support. Grimmjow ran his hands up Ichigo’s arms and cupped his face, pulling him down for a firm kiss before lying back on the couch a bit. He watched as Ichigo captured his own bottom lip between his teeth and glanced down at the body under him. The hands on Grimmjow’s shoulders crept down, easing over his toned chest and running to his sides. Ichigo’s fingers traced under Grimmjow’s pecs and followed his centre ling down to his belly button where they stopped. All this was above clothes obviously and Grimmjow kept his cool he really wanted to get a handful of Ichigo’s skin, to feel him bare and warm against him.

“You are lumpy.”

Grimmjow just blinked at the other, not really knowing what he meant. He’d been called a lot of things over the years: muscular, ripped, strong, toned but lumpy was a new one.

Ichigo blushed at the incredulous look. “I mean compared to me, I’m so flat. C-can I see what you look like under your shirt?”

Grimmjow was happy to oblige, arching his back to free his t-shirt before lifting it free. Ichigo leaned back to grip his knees behind himself to balance but straightened when Grimmjow stopped moving. A slightly trembling hand reached out towards Grimmjow but stopped short of touching the centre of his chest. Grimmjow helped him move the last half inch, holding Ichigo’s hand palm down. The feeling of the smooth skin under his hand gave him a bit of courage and he put the other next to it, rolling them both down the body, along the lines caused by sitting and the ones showing the muscles hidden beneath. Ichigo’s hands moved up to trace Grimmjow’s collar bones, running them up Grimmjow’s neck to sink into his hair. That brought Ichigo closer to the other man; his groin sliding closer to Grimmjow’s which made the larger man moan quietly. Ichigo pulled away sharply, thinking he’d done something wrong but Grimmjow didn’t let him go too far. He gently put a hand on Ichigo’s ass and pulled him in tightly, the other sitting straight as he felt Grimmjow’s ‘enthusiasm’.

That immediately made Ichigo stop, his hands moving to remove Grimmjow’s hands from his person and get away. Grimmjow didn’t want to force him to stay but he knew Ichigo was running with fear of the unknown rather than fear of Grimmjow himself.

“Wait, please.” Grimmjow allowed him to pull their groins apart but didn’t let Ichigo leave his lap. “Did you feel me?”

Ichigo’s eyebrows raised and he gaped a bit. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

Grimmjow frowned a bit, not knowing what the apology was about since he was the one who’d pulled Ichigo in. “Do you know what arousal is? What that stick between your legs is for?”

“It’s, I was taught it was for when I was older. That it was a bit dirty and shouldn’t be touched beyond hygiene.”

“And when you were older, what was it for?”

“Making children.”

Grimmjow had to stop himself pitying the other man, to never known the touch of another or even himself was unbelievable. “Ichigo, can I show you how wrong you are in the best possible way? I promise at the end there will be no children.”

Ichigo’s face couldn’t be redder and his hands were on his own legs, almost scared to look at the other man’s exposed skin. “W-what are you going to do?”

Grimmjow felt his own face warm up a bit, never having had to talk about sucking someone off before. He sat up and pecked Ichigo on the nose before standing up with his hands holding Ichigo under the ass. “I am going to rock your world a bit.” Grimmjow started walking towards his room, Ichigo helping him open the door because he refused to put the other down. The light was left off as Grimmjow laid Ichigo down, lying over him for a moment to infuse some calm on the situation. Ichigo’s breath had started to come quicker the closer they’d got to the bed. “People have sex for more than just making babies. When it comes to two guys together, it’s all about the fun. And I just want to show you the fun. I can promise you’ll enjoy it.”

Grimmjow reached for his belt buckle, dropping his own jeans before kissing Ichigo again. His hands sank down and gripped Ichigo at the waist, loving the slight up thrust from Ichigo’s groin. He reached to the borrowed jeans button and popped it slowly, his mouth moving to the side of Ichigo’s neck. He kissed down the column, sucking gently to not leave bruises as he pulled the zip fly down. Ichigo’s hands hesitantly touched his flank, his fingers clenching every now and again. His nails dug in a bit when the jeans were pushed down, Ichigo automatically lifting his hips to help. Grimmjow lifted a foot to the crotch of Ichigo’s jeans to push them down and off and Grimmjow settled down between Ichigo’s thighs once they were bared. Grimmjow reached for the hem of Ichigo’s white t-shirt but was stopped by trembling hands, Ichigo shaking his head when Grimmjow looked at him.

“Please? Not yet?”

Grimmjow nodded, leaving him with the upper part of his body covered without question. “Tell me to stop if you want but give it a chance at least. I can guarantee you’ll think it’s a bit weird at first.” Grimmjow slunk down slowly, hands ghosting over the thin t-shirt until he knelt between Ichigo’s feet. He looked at the tight black boxers on the thin hips, noting that Ichigo wasn’t erect at all even through all their contact. Grimmjow raised a hand and laid it over the package that he could see. Ichigo’s hand shot to Grimmjow’s wrist, making him clench harder and bring out a wail from the smaller man. Grimmjow slowly used both hands to lower Ichigo’s boxers and saw that Ichigo was stirring a little, his balls heavy and round with only a light dusting of dark orange hair and his cock lying straight on top with a nest of curls at its base. Grimmjow decided to not waste any more time and lifted the filling organ and gave it a stroke, giving the helmet a lick and moaning lightly at the taste. He glanced up into horrified eyes, Ichigo having one hand over his mouth as he stared wide eyed. Grimmjow just smirked back up at him, sucking the soft head between his lips again while gripping the base.

Things didn’t remain soft for long and soon Ichigo was too distracted to watch. He lay back, his eyes were closed at he fought with his instincts to flee while trying to enjoy the sensations sweeping his groin. The heat he’d been feeling was now an inferno in his veins and his groin seemed to have a mind of its own as it thrust up into the warm cavern around him. He’d been initially disgusted at the thought of the thing he peed through going into another’s mouth but that thought was thrown out violently when the tongue in that mouth ran round under his helmet. His dick felt like it was about to explode, it was huge and thick and so full feeling it was almost uncomfortable.

Grimmjow was quite happy; Ichigo had fallen in line quickly enough and was enjoying himself as far as Grimmjow could see. The dick between his lips was certainly happy and much bigger that it was when it was soft. Grimmjow couldn’t get it all in his mouth and was using a hand at the base to help stimulate it. Grimmjow could feel his split knuckles opening slightly but it was ignorable at that point. He’d had to wrap his other hand around himself after a while to relieve some pressure and was tugging along with his sucks to just lose himself in the pleasure. He was keeping an eye on Ichigo’s balls, watching them tuck up to get some indication of Ichigo’s trigger point. He doubted the other would be able to warn him and he didn’t want to choke.

Ichigo might not have been able to verbalise his end point but his motions and whimpers were enough to let Grimmjow know the other was close. Watching Ichigo writhe on his bed, the hands clenching at the bedcovers was enough to allow Grimmjow’s practiced hand pull himself over before readying himself for Ichigo’s load. He swallowed it with relish, licking the stray drops from his skin before gently releasing Ichigo and pulling himself up to lie at his side. Ichigo was breathing heavily and trembling slightly. He was almost glowing; his hair so vibrant even in the dark room and when he finally opened his eyes Grimmjow was surprised by the brightness in the dim.

“You ok?”

“What was that?” Ichigo’s voice whispered in the night, his hand raised to stroke Grimmjow’s jaw.

“It’s called a blow job, and it pulled an orgasm out of you.”

“And you swallowed it?” Ichigo’s finger ran over Grimmjow’s lips, jerking back when he playfully bit down.

“Yep, tasty.” Grimmjow leaned in and kissed Ichigo under his jaw.

“And you?”

“I pulled one for myself.” Grimmjow lifted his hand he’d been cradling away from both of them.

Ichigo sat up a bit, pulling the hand towards him to see the thick liquid clinging to Grimmjow’s fingers and palm. “This is an orgasm?”

“That is cum; you get it with an orgasm.”

“Semen? You swallowed sperm?” Ichigo’s disgusted face was back.

“Yup, it’s maybe an acquired taste. I better go wash up.”

Ichigo stopped him moving, still holding the soiled hand. Ichigo sat up, one leg bend underneath him as he swallowed deeply. He pulled the hand towards himself, glancing to Grimmjow to see if the other was playing with him before poking his tongue out a bit, licking up the side of Grimmjow’s finger where one drop clung. He pulled away sharply, his nose scrunched up as he smacked his mouth a bit to taste it properly. “It’s a bit salty.”

He didn’t immediately notice Grimmjow’s hooded eyes at the sight of Ichigo licking his cum but he saw it after a second and he swallowed again, pulling the hand back to his face. As his tongue reached out he kept his eyes on Grimmjow’s face, licking Grimmjow’s middle finger from the knuckle up to the tip before sinking his head over it, the digit inside his mouth. Grimmjow growled at him, shifting slightly as his cock twitched a bit. “You’re a tease. I’m going to wash up. Do you want to get into bed? You pick the side.”

Grimmjow wandered to the adjacent room after tucking himself back into his boxers and washed his hands, rubbing his face a bit with the water before taking a swig of mouthwash. He was too tired to brush his teeth properly but wanted a goodnight kiss without Ichigo’s ick face. He spat the blue liquid out before clicking the light off and padding back to the bed. He slunk onto the free side, edging over to the other on his side and pulling Ichigo into him. Ichigo curled around his legs, holding his arms as they enclosed him gently.

“Could you love me?” Ichigo’s question came out of the dark and Grimmjow thought about it for a moment before answering.

“Yes. I care about you a lot after knowing you for half a day so it’s safe to say it will grow into love if we let it. I want to keep you safe and make you happy. I’d also like to suck you off more and make you cum many more times. But I also know you’re learning things for the first time. You might find someone better.”

“I don’t want to. I don’t even want to look. I want to stay with you, if you’ll have me. And I want to try blowing you, and everything else you can do.”

“Oh I’m up for anything my dear. I’ll show you how much fun you can have. Wait till we get to the main event, if you think blow jobs are good.”

Ichigo didn’t really know slang but knew enough of biology to get the hint he was talking about. “But, how does sex work with us? There is no vagina, no eggs. I don’t understand.”

Grimmjow ducked his head down against Ichigo’s vibrant hair for a second as he quelled a case of the giggles. Manly giggles of course. He reached his hand round Ichigo’s ass, stroking for a moment before carefully seeking inside the reclaimed boxers to stroke along Ichigo’s crack. He stopped short of touching his hole as Ichigo had had enough new experiences for one night. “I will slide right down here and inside you.”

Ichigo pulled away from Grimmjow sharply, turning with another horrified expression on his face. “In my bottom?”

“And in mine if you want. It’s what two guys do. And girls and guys some times.” Grimmjow kept a straight face but it was hard.

“Inside? But it’s a rectum, it’s,”

Grimmjow placed a hand over Ichigo’s mouth to stop him discussing the natural bodily use of that area. “I know what it’s for. I’ll show you how else you can use it.”


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ichigo laid awake that night, the feeling of another body beside him was so strange to him that he couldn’t close his eyes. The smell of the man beside him was heavenly; it surrounded Ichigo from the pillows and sheets to the arms that crossed his chest. His mind was still reeling with all the new information and he just wanted to sit and read more about the world he’d just discovered. At the same time his head felt heavy and there was no way he’d be leaving the arms around him any time soon.

He did eventually fall asleep but woke before the other man, waking to find himself half on top of the other after the sleep shuffling through the night. Grimmjow’s arms were still on him and he gentle slunk out from under them to use the bathroom. When he was out of the bed, the arms went looking for him, grabbing the pillows from the empty side and cramming them into his chest. Ichigo had a soft smile on his face as he disappeared into Grimmjow’s small ensuite and did the necessary. Afterwards he was at a loss for what to do, his routine in shreds along with the rest of his life. He noticed a tremble in his limbs that he couldn’t identify and it kept him from snuggling back down with Grimmjow. He pulled a pair of pyjama trousers out of the bag Shinji had given him and pulled them over his boxers before heading out into the living space, hoping for solitude to think some more.

The living room was empty and Ichigo stood at the window overlooking the street as he took some deep breaths to calm the tremors. It kind of worked so he reached up with both hands above his head, eyes closed and started again, stretching his long body out to dispel some of the tension. He dropped his upper body gracefully over his legs, hanging for a few breaths and shaking his arms out. He straightened once more, stretching his back a little more and groaning a little at the feeling. A chuckle sounded from behind him scaring Ichigo into an almost crouch, turned towards the noise but making himself small.

The laugh stopped instantly, a pair of hands held out to show the other meant no harm and they stopped moving forward. “Hey, sorry if I scared you.”

Ichigo stared wide eyed at the man who’d been so ill the night before standing looking apologetic in front of him. The eyes looked tired but kind and his chin was covered in unshaved scruff. The hair Ichigo had only seen wet the night before sat about shoulder length and wavy, kind of messed up since the other had just got out of bed. He was dressed just in pyjama bottoms with a lean torso dusted in dark hair on show. “Are you ok? I mean can I help you?”

He smiled back, shaking his head before approaching again. “I’m alright, sorry if I scared you last night as well. Your name is Ichigo right? I’m Starrk.” He held his hand out, hesitating when Ichigo didn’t return the gesture. “Yeah, Ulquiorra said you were a bit odd. It’s a hand shake; it’s how people say hello.” Starrk took Ichigo’s hand gently and shook it, letting it go after a moment. “I’m getting a coffee, would you like one?”

“Coffee?”

_iiiiiii_

Ichigo didn’t like coffee it turned out, Grimmjow leaving his room in time to see Ichigo’s ick face once more. He was glaring at the white mug on the coffee table as if warning it to stay away. Grimmjow just lifted it as he passed, sitting next to Ichigo as he chugged the drink. He then leaned in for a kiss from Ichigo who struggled away, holding his hands up and turning his head. All Grimmjow managed to get was a peck on the cheek but he laughed loudly as he fought. “How can you drink that stuff?” Ichigo rubbed at the spot Grimmjow had pecked, sniffing his hand to check he didn’t smell like the vile liquid.

“Acquired taste.” Grimmjow’s smile turned a little feral as he remembered saying the same thing the night before and Ichigo’s face reddened as his thoughts turned to the same.

“Leave the poor kid alone; hasn’t he had enough of a shock before you started molesting him?” Starrk handed Ichigo a glass of water which he accepted with thanks as the older man sat in the lone chair at the side of the sofa.

“Didn’t hear too many complaints last night.” Grimmjow’s face was smug but Ichigo just shrank in on himself more. He was uncomfortable and was supressing the urge to move, to flee somewhere safe. “So, you’re clearly feeling better.”

Starrk nodded, running one hand down his back. “Got a bit of an ache but better than I have in ages. Might actually go out and do stuff today.”

“Yeah, we’re going out as well. Better grab something to eat first. You hungry Babe?” Grimmjow turned to Ichigo who shrugged, not wanting to put anyone to bother. He always made his own breakfast but this wasn’t his house and it wasn’t his food. “How about waffles?”

“Waffle?”

That question brought a loud laugh from the hallway, Nnoitra entering the living area with a wicked grin on his face. “Almost forgot we had California Man staying with us. Or would George of the Jungle be more fitting? Waffles are food kid, hot yumminess covered in chocolate. You do know what chocolate is right?”

Ichigo drew his legs in front of him, perching his heels on the seat and dropped his gaze to his thighs. He nodded in response but didn’t look at the others. When the two at his side chuckled he winced slightly, feeling a little hurt at the teasing. Nnoitra disappeared into the kitchen for a second, coming out with a cardboard carton in his hand, lifting the contents out and holding it in front of Ichigo. “This is an egg, can you say egg?”

Ichigo stood up and brushed past Nnoitra, turning his head so the tears tracking down his cheek would be hidden. He opened Grimmjow’s bedroom door, closing it behind him and slinking to the floor against it. His hands went to his hair, pulling slightly to try and calm himself down. He’d never really cried before, not since he’d grown out of falling over and the sensation wasn’t pleasant. The hot tears stung his eyes and his head was all full and sandy feeling. The world was too confusing to him, too big and too different. He’d thought he would manage but he was too far behind these men. He’d never be taken seriously by them, only coddled and made fun of.

That made his mind up, this place wasn’t for him and he still had time to get back to the place he belonged. He stood up, stripping the white t-shirt off and wiping his face with it. He pulled clean underwear out, slipping it on first before digging out an outfit Shinji had provided, sliding the blue denims up and around his waist. They were a tad short for him but he liked the way they clung to his legs. He was just lifting a new white shirt out when the door opened.

_iiiiii_

“You’re a dick you know that.” Grimmjow had found it hard to wipe the smile off his face at first, Nnoitra being his usual obnoxious self but when Ichigo had got up and walked off it ceased to be funny.

“The kid needs to lighten up, he takes everything so seriously.” Nnoitra just shrugged as he spoke, putting the egg carton onto the coffee table and taking Ichigo’s seat.

“You ever think he might not know how to lighten up? What if he’d never had a friend joke with him, what if he took everything seriously because that is all he’s ever done. You made him cry Nnoi.” Starrk wasn’t laughing; he’d seen the hurt on the younger man’s face.

“And it’s his birthday you dick.” Grimmjow punched Nnoitra on the arm as he got up, going to see to the upset boy in his bedroom. He raised his hand to knock on the door, pausing for a moment with a frown on his face as he realised his knuckles were clear and scab free. It should’ve taken a week to heal up the damage the guy’s face had done to them. He then realised Ichigo’s face was healed as well, the cut above his eye gone without a trace this morning. “Ichigo? I’m coming in.”

Grimmjow opened the door, his frown deepening as he took in the sight before him. Ichigo was standing in a pair of ass hugging blue jeans that were still open at the fly and was pulling a white vest on over his pale chest. Covering the chest, abdomen and back were huge scars, criss crossing over each other and showing clear age differences. The reddest one was on his shoulder blade, cutting down and under his left arm. “What the fuck are they?”

“Grimmjow please,” Ichigo backed off the other, the vest falling over most of them but not all. His upper arms weren’t clear either and the vest’s v neck showed the ends of some of them.

“Why the hell are you covered in scars?” Grimmjow approached Ichigo and grabbed the arms that were out to stop him. Holding both of Ichigo’s wrists in one hand he lifted them up and raised the white shirt to see the torso up close.

“Don’t, please let me go Grimmjow!” Ichigo screamed the last, struggling but hopelessly against the stronger man. His screams drew Starrk and Nnoitra to the doorway, both entering with huge eyes as they took in the state of the youngest.

“How, why? Fuck.” Nnoitra was having trouble processing the sheer number of scars he could see but Starrk was more focused on the distraught young man handing in Grimmjow’s grasp.

“Grimmjow let him go.” Starrk approached them both; one hand reaching for Ichigo’s captured wrists and the other lowering the white shirt. Grimmjow appeared to realise what he’d been doing and dropped Ichigo like he had burned him. Starrk caught the younger, holding him for a moment even though he was surprised the other let him. Ichigo’s face fell against his shoulder, his hands dropping against Starrk’s chest and Starrk wrapped his arms around the other, dealing with the violent shaking in the body against him. “You’re alright; Grimmjow’s just got a fright that’s all.”

“A fucking fright? Some ass has been using him as a god damn etch-a-sketch.” Grimmjow roared the last bit, Ichigo wincing down more into Starrk.

“And you think grabbing and screaming at him is going to make it better?”

That made Grimmjow look down at Ichigo, seeing the streams of tears flow down his face. Ichigo turned his face when he saw Grimmjow looking at him. “Shit, I’m sorry Ichi. I promise I won’t shout anymore.” Grimmjow reached a hand out and touched Ichigo’s shoulder, the other boy flinching away. Ichigo broke away from Starrk, tears still flowing down his face.

“Don’t touch me.”

The three men watched him shake more and more by the second, his arms coming up to cover his exposed marks. Ulquiorra chose that moment to enter the room, looking between his roommate and the strange boy they’d brought home last night. He easily read the tension between Grimmjow and Ichigo and he clocked Ichigo trying to cover his exposed skin, noticing the scars he was trying to hide. He knew then what had happened. And it was mainly his fault.

 Ulquiorra spotted a red checked shirt on the bed, what Ichigo was probably planning to put on and he lifted it, walking over to the traumatised boy and held it open, Ichigo relaxing a fraction and threading his arm through, turning to push the other in as well. That gave Ulquiorra a better look at some of the scars, their placements making it clear that they were not self-inflicted like Ulquiorra had initially thought. “Ichigo, do you want to talk about this with us?” The answer was a very clear shaking of the head. “Would you talk to just Grimmjow?” Ichigo glanced over Grimmjow, not making any motions either way. Ulquiorra started to back away, snagging Starrk’s sleeve and tugging on it slightly. Starrk took the hint and followed, Nnoitra leaving with no sign needed.

Grimmjow and Ichigo stared at each other for a moment, Ichigo slowly buttoning the shit up over his vest. He’d started with the wrong button however and it was uneven. Grimmjow chuckled softly, slowly walking up to Ichigo and stopping his hands, undoing the buttons from the bottom and redoing them in turn. Ichigo stopped his hands at his sternum, holding them for a moment. “It’s not what you think.”

Grimmjow took a breath to keep his cool. “I _think_ that someone is hurting you but what I don’t know is why.”

“It’s not like that.” Ichigo was speaking softly and not looking at Grimmjow. “It’s hard to explain.” Ichigo looked around, searching for something but stopped when Grimmjow gripped him gently by his upper arms. “No one is hurting me.”

“You don’t have to protect anyone here. You’ve barely got any skin on your back that hasn’t been touched. You knew I’d freak didn’t you? That’s why you wouldn’t take your shirt off last night.”

“I knew you’d want an explanation that I couldn’t give. And you said I could tell you later, or never.”

“I didn’t think it was this, that you’d been abused your whole life.”

Ichigo scowled, stepping back and breaking Grimmjow’s grip. “ _No one_ has been abusing me.”

“Are you telling me truthfully that your father hasn’t cut you? No way have you done this to yourself. I’ve seen self-harm before, trust me on that and _these_ haven’t been done by you.” Grimmjow reached out and pulled Ichigo’s shirt to the side to show the worst shoulder.

Ichigo was honest by nature so he didn’t respond; knowing Grimmjow would just take it the wrong way that his father had been the one to cut him. Ichigo looked up at Grimmjow, seeing the confusion in his face but he was beyond helping it at that point. Ichigo turned from him and walked out of the bedroom, heading for the front door to the apartment and bolting out. Grimmjow was half way out of his room when the door banged shut, his face angry and hurt all at the same time. He’d thought Ichigo could talk to him, they’d got on so well then night before. Truthfully they’d known each other for less than a day and for a heartbeat he thought that it might be better that way. Ichigo would go home and be out of his life for ever. He could just drop the bag of clothes with the money back to Hirako and be done with it.

And never see that innocent smile again. Or the ick face, which made Grimmjow chuckle just thinking about it. The wide eyed wonder on Ichigo’s face when he was talking about the internet and computers was fabulous and the sleepy man who’d snuggled up to him the night before was so gorgeous he hadn’t wanted to fall asleep. He wanted to rewind to last night, to redo that morning once more only not fuck it up quite so much.

Ulquiorra found Grimmjow in the living room staring at the front door. He’d left his room when the front door banged shut and realised what had happened just looking at his friend’s stricken face.

“He’s not a cutter.”

“I know, he’d not get to his back like that. But why wouldn’t he tell me what had happened?”

“Grimm, I’d known you for five years and I couldn’t talk to you about it. And you’ve probably just sent him back there. Someone has hurt him; he doesn’t see it as abuse. But this is the kid who didn’t know about a television until you told him what it was. Maybe he doesn’t know what abuse is? Maybe he’s been taught it’s something else?”

“I’m going to go and get him. Come with me? You keep a cooler head than me.” Grimmjow pulled on his trainers that were sitting by the door, Ulquiorra pushing his feet into his black boots and zipping them up the inside. Grimmjow lifted one of Ichigo’s borrowed sneakers, Ulquiorra letting out a small curse at the thought of the boy running in the streets barefooted.

“Will he even find his way home?”

“I don’t know, he might head to Hirako’s so we can check there after his place. It’s not too far after all.”

_iiiiii_

Ichigo ran. He’d been running on a treadmill for years, for an hour each day so he was fit but his feet weren’t usually bare and the concrete outside was very unforgiving. He stepped on something sharp as he rounded the corner to the park which made him stop for a second to have a look. He pulled his foot up onto his other knee, turning it and seeing the sharp stone stuck in his arch. He pulled it, flinching at the pain but jut tossed it aside and started moving again. It hurt to walk on but not unbearable and he knew he could fix it when he got home. He skirted the park, spotting things he’d seen the day before with glee. There was the bench Grimmjow and his friends had sat on. And the crossing that was near his street. He turned onto his block with a sigh of relief, checking his watch and seeing it was half past ten. Half an hour before he would’ve been caught. The pain in his foot seemed to intensify as he turned into the alley with the metal stair case but he knew he could make it up even just hopping. Only problem was, the bottom set of stairs was no longer there.

_iiiiiii_

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra turned into the alley next to Ichigo’s building, Grimmjow spotting the fresh blood on the ground. Ichigo was nowhere in sight but both men clearly heard the sobs coming from behind the large dumpster. They slowly made themselves visible to Ichigo, the sobs stopping as soon as he spotted them. Ichigo was trembling again, too much adrenaline in his body that was now leaking out.

“They’re gone.”

Grimmjow glanced at Ulquiorra, the other not knowing what he was talking about either. “What’s gone Ichigo?”

“The stairs. The first set, where are they?”

Grimmjow glanced up at the fire escape and saw the bottom ladder secured again. “It’s there Ichigo; it’s just tucked up again. You need to be above it to release it. It’s to stop people climbing it to break into people’s houses.”

“But how do I go home? I can’t walk through the front door, I don’t have a key and my father will find out.”

“Then don’t go home. I thought you were staying with me?”

“You don’t want me. I’m broken and useless. Too scarred for you.”

Grimmjow’s eyes went wide. “You think that’s why I’m upset? Because you’ve got a few marks on you? I want you because you are the sweetest guy I’ve ever met. I don’t give a shit about your scars, or how you got them. I know it wasn’t you.”

“A couple of them were. See, I help people. I can make them better. I just have to bleed to do it.”

Grimmjow was frowning deeply then. “Well you’re bleeding right now and I certainly don’t feel any better. Can I take you home? My home. We can talk there and I can get your foot clean. This is really not a place to be walking around with nothing on.”

“It hurts.”

“I bet.”

_iiiiii_

It took the three of them a while to get back, Ichigo’s body still in shock from not being able to get home. He’d only been coping by knowing the path back was still open to him. At quarter past eleven when he got him he knew it was closed forever. His father would know by now and would be looking for him, waiting to take him back and make sure he’d never be in danger again.

Starrk saw them coming from the window and was waiting by the open door as they topped the stairs at their floor. Ichigo was so pale as he passed, Starrk stroking a hand through his hair. The boy was gently directed to the couch and his feet were lifted onto the table. From across the room Starrk could see they were cut up and filthy, one with quite a lot of blood still flowing from a cut on the sole.

“Well that will teach you to play outside with no shoes on young man.”

Ulquiorra fetched a basin of warm water while Starrk got the first aid kit. Grimmjow had pulled a couple of towels out of the cupboard and had sat Ichigo feet on one to catch the blood flow.

Grimmjow gently started to clean Ichigo’s feet, sitting on the table with one, then the other foot on his lap. He was delicate with the wet kitchen towel, easing the tiny stones and dirt particles out of the cuts and folds and he glanced at Ichigo’s face every now and them to make sure he was alright. He was sitting staring into the distance with a fairly blank look on his face for a while. He hissed and flinched when Grimmjow pressed on a sore patch, sitting up to stop the other but hesitating.

“I’m sorry.”

“What for? I’m the one hurting you.” Grimmjow didn’t look up as he spoke.

“For freaking everyone out and running off.”

“You could explain instead. I get you don’t want to but you’ll have to eventually.”

Ichigo looked around, seeing the faces of his new friends and he sighed. He looked up at Starrk, seeing the colour lacking from his skin and his breathing harsher than it was this morning. “Are you alright Starrk?”

“Don’t change the subject.”

“Answer me.”

“I’ve been better.” That drew Grimmjow and Ulquiorra’s attention to him the pair standing automatically to go to the other. “I’m alright guys.”

“You were so good this morning, what has happened to change it so quickly.” Ulquiorra walked over and pinched his pulse point, one hand on his chest to feel his heart and breathing. They’d all become carers to the ill man and knew what to look for.

“And I was so bad last night, what happened to change it to this morning. It happens guys.” He stumbled a little, Ulquiorra there to support him.

“Bring him to me.” Ichigo patted the seat next to him, shuffling a little to face the other.

“Ichigo, we need to take care of your feet.” Grimmjow pulled him back gently but was stopped when Ichigo’s hand held his.

“I am. Trust me, please? I know it’s a bit ask but I can answer your question as well as help.” Ichigo reached out his hand to Starrk, the other taking it automatically. Starrk frowned at the strange boy, watching him bring his injured foot over his lap and held it with his free hand, digging it into to the cut deeply. The blood ran faster and the boy grit his teeth, squeezing Starrk’s hand tightly. Starrk instantly felt better, his head clearing and his heart calming a bit as well. The itch in his skin had reduced and he took a deep breath with no pain for the first time in ages.

Grimmjow reached a hand to stop Ichigo, pulling the now bloody hand away with a yell. “What the hell?”

Ichigo slumped to the sofa, his breath a little heavy as he leaned round. “I can help more. Have you got a knife?”

Grimmjow stood up and backed away. “Explain now. You’re not making any sense.”

“The reason I’m all scarred is because every-one of them was helping someone else. And they heal up instantly. I don’t know why they scar but it doesn’t matter. Get me a knife and help your friend.”

Nnoitra held out his hand, a flick knife extended to the man on the sofa. No one had even noticed him coming in. Grimmjow went to snatch the weapon out of his hand before Ichigo could get it. But Nnoitra held it out of his reach, extending it to Ichigo again. “If the kid can help Starrk then give him a chance. Ulquiorra can stitch him up if he’d full of bullshit.”

Ichigo smiled up at the tall man, taking the knife and dropping it in his lap. He struggled out of the red shirt, tossing it behind him before lifting the white vest up and off. He lifted one of the clean towels and held it to his side, glancing over at Grimmjow to ask for his help. “Can you hold this here? I don’t want to ruin these jeans or your sofa.”

“How are you so calm about this?”

“I’ve been doing this since I was four.” Ichigo extended his hand to Starrk again, the older man hesitant but he took it. Ichigo crossed his body with his other arm, reaching round to his back with the knife extended and he thrust it in, yanking it forward and round his flank. He kept it low to not grate along his ribs and he cut almost parallel to another he’d done years ago. The blood flowed and he dropped the knife, pressing a hand into the cut. He squeezed his eyes closed with the pain, knowing he was more timid with self-inflicted wounds. His father could draw out more healing than he could himself only because it seemed to go hand in hand with pain. He pushed and pushed, digging into the cut with his hand until he had his fingernails in his own flesh and he was whining.

The others were too distracted by the amount of blood flowing, Nnoitra grabbing another towel and holding it over the hand in the wound. “I take it back, stop it please.” Nnoitra tried to pull the hand out but it wouldn’t budge.

“One more second.” Ichigo took a deep breath, releasing it as he felt the click. He opened his eyes to see Starrk staring at his head with wide eyes. Grimmjow was pressed against his back and he was staring at the glowing hair on his head. Ichigo ducked his head to hide his eyes but Starrk reached out his free hand and pulled his chin up, meeting Ichigo’s changed eyes without a flinch.

“How? You are beautiful.”

“I don’t know. I just know I can.”

Grimmjow pulled his face around, blue eyes wide at the sight of the golden and black eyes. He leaned in and covered Ichigo’s lips with his own, Ichigo inhaling deeply at the touch. Starrk gasped at the feeling in his body, the freedom he felt in his limbs and the general wakefulness all over. Ichigo smiled shyly at Grimmjow before he turned back to Starrk. “Feeling better?”

Starrk nodded, reaching his hand out to pull Ichigo towards him, pressing a closed mouth kiss on his forehead. “Thank you.”

“I didn’t fix you. I just made you a bit better. I can’t do it myself, sorry.”

“Don’t apologise to me. I didn’t think I’d be able to move around much again before I died. I feel like I could go for a run right now.”

“I can help you regularly; keep you well until they get you fixed?”

All eyes snapped to Ichigo, Starrk starting to tremble a bit. “Seriously?”

Ichigo shrugged, wriggling a bit on the couch to stretch his body slightly. He ached afterwards all the time and needed to stretch out.

“We need to take care of you first.” Grimmjow pushed Ichigo against the back of the sofa, going to gently remove the towels from the wound when Ichigo rolled his eyes, yanking the towels away to reveal his bloody hand pressed against blood stained skin but no open wound. A pink line ran along his side and the towels were nearly saturated but no sign of the wound he’d been digging at.

“I told you, I was taking care of me too. Check my feet out if you don’t believe me.” Ichigo lifted his once bleeding foot to show it was cut free. “Can I grab a shower please?”

_iiiii_

The four friends cleaned the living room up a bit in silence. They were all a bit shell shocked except for Starrk who was just delighted at being able to move around so easily.

“He,” Grimmjow started, the others looking at him but he stopped before he finished saying anything sensible.

“He did.” Nnoitra nodded as he spoke.

“Then he,” Grimmjow was doing his best but was struggling to cope.

“Yep.” Ulquiorra was sorting the washing to get the blood out of the towels but he was shocked to the core as well.

Ichigo didn’t take long, returning to the living room and stopping at the door. He wanted to get his clothes from earlier so was topless again, nothing to hide after all. The four stopped and stared at him, varying degrees of shock on their faces which made Ichigo smirk. “I take it this is what I’ve been looking like when I’ve seen new things.” He walked up to them. “You don’t get to tease me about not knowing stuff anymore alright?” He was facing Nnoitra who nodded. “You don’t get to treat me any different just because I helped you okay?” He turned to Starrk who nodded, pulling him in for a light hug. “Are we alright?” Ichigo was a little more hesitant when he turned to Grimmjow but his smile returned when the larger man pulled him into his arms.

“I love you.” Grimmjow pulled Ichigo’s chin up to look at him closer, loving the warm brown eyes widening as he spoke. “We’re better than alright.”


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter

Sousuke hated a busy Friday. It put him off and tended to leave him things he had to do on a Saturday when he should be relaxing and having his own life. Not many men in their early seventies could boast such a vigorous night life as him but then they didn’t have their own fountain of youth.

He hadn’t known he would have become a father the day he stripped Isshin of his son, payback for the slight he’d done by not joining their companies. He had only meant to ransom the child back, wanting to instil panic on the grieving man to get more money out of him until the little urchin was knocked too hard and had cut his head, leaving him howling and changing. Sousuke had thought he was a devil child at that point and was all for smothering the monster but the cut healed, leaving no trace and the flaming curls and demon eyes had faded as well. Sousuke was intrigued and had had several ‘accidents’ happen, watching the child heal them all. Of course he cried, all children did so when they were hurt but it was only when he’d been about nine months when Sousuke found out the healing could be transferred and it was two years later that the age reversal became more pronounced. Yes he had to inflict a serious wound on the boy to make it noticeable which of course left a noticeable wound but he learned over a year how to maintain his age without draining the boy too much.

He had worked through a number of foreign nannies by that point, making sure they had never heard of the Shiba ‘tragedy’ and that they didn’t stay around long enough to notice the fairly serious wounds being inflicted regularly during ‘father/son’ time.

The boy was easy to manipulate. Too easy really and it made Sousuke bad tempered to him. He knew the child wasn’t from his blood but having raised him he was disappointed in the lack of a brain he had. Content to sit in his home all day, every day without questioning what his ‘father’ told him.

Obviously his age was bringing problems but Sousuke was sure he’d managed to shame them out of the boy and they wouldn’t rise again for a number of years. He’d never coddled the boy with things like gifts or too much time even at his birthday so when the day of his majority came round Sousuke knew he didn’t have to worry about even speaking to the man. Or so he thought.

“What do you mean he’s not there?”

_iiiiiiii_

Ichigo couldn’t shake the smile from his face, the corners of his mouth turning up a bit more every now and then as he thought about the man he was pressed up against. He was a little embarrassed that he was perhaps looking like a woman swooning over her man but he was wallowing in the new feelings, loving the warmth, the smell and the strength he felt from the other, just being tucked under his arm.

Grimmjow had said they were going shopping after breakfast and he hadn’t been kidding, the two of them walking with their free hands carrying bags of new clothes, toiletries and Ichigo’s new phone in its sealed box still, something the birthday boy couldn’t wait to get charged up and connected. He hadn’t admitted it but he wanted to play some of the games Grimmjow had shown him on his own phone.

The waffles had been strange to him, so sweet and crunchy but he liked the heaps of fresh fruit Grimmjow had given him. Grimmjow’s were smothered in chocolate as well but Ichigo hadn’t wanted any. Grimmjow did insist on him trying a little of the chocolate sauce, from Grimmjow’s finger and though Ichigo blushed the whole time, he did suck every bit off the offered digit.

They stopped for a drink, Ichigo going automatically for water but Grimmjow ordered a coffee, smirking at Ichigo’s ick face as his coffee was being brewed by the barista. Grimmjow pulled him in and pecked a kiss on his forehead.

“How can you drink this stuff? It smells like burning wood and tastes like it too.” Ichigo sipped at his water, mouth still turned down at the smell coming from Grimmjow’s cup.

“Yeah, I know. Anyway, anything else you fancy getting? Some music, books? Think we’ve got you sorted for jeans that will fit your legs.” Grimmjow drifted for a moment as he gazed down the body next to him. He came back to the blushing face, pulling it in for a peck before taking a swig of his coffee.

“I don’t know. Something for everyone back at your house maybe?”

“Nah, we’re alright. So, if you were back home, on your birthday, what would you be doing?” Grimmjow felt a half smile twitch his lips as Ichigo tilted his head as he thought.

Checking his watch, Ichigo sighed. “Well, being a Friday my music tutor would be there. We’re working on piano this month so I guess I’d be playing. I’d have already done an hour on the treadmill, two hours of studying and an hour and a half with my trainer. Oh, and lunch.”

“That is a hefty morning.”

“That is every morning. After my tutor leaves, it’s another hour of cardio before dinner. I do get most evening free, unless my father is there, or one of my friends.” Ichigo was fiddling with his bottle cap on the table, not really looking at Grimmjow.

“By friends I’m assuming you’re including Hirako? Anyone else?”

“Yeah, Shinji and I started playing together as children. We have several instruments we both play and games we both enjoy. I also get visits from a lady called Orihime but I think my father wants us to be more than friends. She makes me feel uncomfortable.” Ichigo’s face grew redder making Grimmjow want to ask more questions.

“By uncomfortable do you mean turned on?” Ichigo’s head tilted again. “Horny? Like you want to have sex with her?” Grimmjow hadn’t thought his face could get any redder.

“NO! God know, she scared me a bit. She’s very, _shapely.”_

Grimmjow just raised an eye at that. Ichigo glanced around before lifting his hands and holding them out, mimicking enormous breasts before he shook his head, taking a slug of water to wash away the thought.

Grimmjow’s laugh drew attention to them which made Ichigo shrink down again. “I’m sorry pet. Your face was fantastic.”

“What about your day? What should you be doing right now? Other than babysitting me?”

“I’m not babysitting; I’ve got my boyfriend out on a date for his birthday. Perfectly acceptable reason to ditch math.”

Ichigo’s face paled. “You’re missing your lessons because of me?”

“ _You’re_ missing _your_ lessons because of me.” Grimmjow countered. “Besides, I can get the notes of one of my friends. The lecturer never assigns homework over the weekend. I’ve already sent a text to a couple of guys and they are going to email me the stuff.”

“What was it like growing up surrounded by this ease of communication?”

Grimmjow paused for a moment, chewing the inside of his bottom lip. “That’s a hard question to answer, what was it like growing up without it? It’s so involved in life here that I still can’t figure out what the hell you did all day, every day in that house without video games in your life. When you were talking about playing games with Hirako I assumed automatically that it would be Halo, or COD, something like that. Shooting games for the Xbox, to answer your question.”

“I’d like to have a shot of that, if you don’t mind.”

“Hell no, I hope you have good reflexes or you’re going to die a lot. And to try and answer your question, growing up with all this crap makes you lazy. You can stay in your house and still go to work, talk to your friends, order stuff, order food and entertain yourself. At school, the kids that had everything, all the consoles, the new phones and stuff, were the ones that were the assholes. You also had kids with the old consoles, the hand-me-down phones or nothing at all. Pretty much everyone had some sort of computer at home but none of them were as shit as the things in the school. I think it’s a government plan to increase patience, making teens wait for the computer to boot up.”

Ichigo’s eyebrows had hit his hair line moments ago and weren’t lowering. The way Grimmjow spoke so quickly about everything new to Ichigo made his head spin.

“By boot up I mean turn on. The older the computer the longer it takes. Especially ones that haven’t been well taken care of.”

“Were you one of the ones with the new phones or the hand-me-downs?”

“Kind of in the middle. Sometimes my dad’s hand-me-down was better than the new one he was offering. He got his phone through his work. And I didn’t get all the consoles. I had to make so with a game boy for ages before I got a proper games machine. Hey, I know where we can go.” Grimmjow took a gulp of his cooling coffee, standing up and grabbing Ichigo’s hand so quickly, Ichigo flinched away. “Sorry, but I promise this will be fun. Let me just go and get some change.”

Grimmjow walked Ichigo for a while, their bags still held in their outside hands so that their others could be joined. Grimmjow stopped them outside a flashing shop, toys in the windows and neon everywhere. “You want to try playing games? This is as good a place to start.”

The arcade wasn’t new so it wasn’t too busy but it still had a number of brilliant games. Ichigo got his first taste of driving there, sitting in the race seat and buckling the seatbelt before taking the wheel in his hand. He crashed, a lot, but with a smile on his face. Grimmjow had to drag him out of the seat eventually to try something else, challenging him to a zombie shoot out game.

Ichigo got the black gun and Grimmjow picked up the white one, telling Ichigo to rest his foot gently on the pressure pad in front of him. The pad made you duck behind stuff and reload your gun. Other than that he told him just to point and pull the trigger, shoot anything that moves.

Grimmjow was so surprised that Ichigo kept up in the game, gun held steady in front of him and eyes peeled for the next bad guy. Yes, at the very start, Ichigo had actually ducked down until he realised what Grimmjow meant. They hogged the shooting game for a while, drawing a couple of spectators for a moment but they drifted off. Ichigo lost his last life first, watching Grimmjow and shouting encouragement to defeat the zombie hoard. When Grimmjow finally got munched the pair waited for a moment to get their final score, Ichigo literally jumping when it came up much larger than their last, jumping into Grimmjow’s arms which caught him and held him close. They broke apart, their faces still quite close and Ichigo connected them, initiating the kiss for the first time. He whined a little when Grimmjow pulled him closer, Ichigo’s arms round his neck while Grimmjow’s were crushing his torso to his own.

Grimmjow didn’t want to get too excited in an arcade so he broke the kiss regrettably before bending for his half of the bags. “We need to get back, that is if you want to get out and see the fires tonight?”

Ichigo just nodded fast, turning to get his own things before grabbing Grimmjow’s hand.

_iiiiii_

Grimmjow showed Ichigo how to set his phone up to charge, promising he could play on it when they got back. Neither of them got changed since they were going to be standing in the park at a bonfire but Grimmjow did phone for pizza so they could eat something before they went.

Starrk was out, which shocked Grimmjow but he took the opportunity to get his girl out for dinner quite seriously and told the boys to not wait up. Grimmjow took that to mean he planned on taking Halibel back to hers and showing her exactly how much he appreciated her. Nnoitra was just heading out when the two got to the flat, promising to meet them at the fires later but Ulquiorra stayed in, joining them for pizza. Grimmjow said it was better since then he could order two different ones for Ichigo to try.

The ick face came out again.

“It’s swimming in grease.” Ichigo was looking down his nose at the ‘meat lovers’ pizza. Sausage, pepperoni, bacon, chicken and chorizo on top of baked cheese and tomato sauce on a thin crust led to lots of orange tinged oil on top. The other option was a spicy one, with jalapenos and chilli seeds over white chicken breast and green peppers.

“Yeah, and you’re going to try it.”

“I don’t even know what it is.”

“It’s bad for you. Get over it.” Grimmjow picked the slice of the meat lovers’ one with the least grease and plonked it on a plate before handing it to Ichigo. He took a larger slice of the same pizza, not caring about the splatter of the grease on the white plate. He looked over at Ichigo who had the plate on his knee and he was looking around for something, Grimmjow realising he was probably looking for cutlery. Grimmjow caught his attention before lifting his slice, putting the point into his mouth and biting down. The hot cheese slid over his tongue, carrying the tang of the tomatoes before the flavours of the different meats came over him. He suppressed a moan at the flavour before looking over at Ichigo expectantly.

Ichigo huffed quietly before copying the other, picking up the hot food and suppressing the urge to drop it when the grease hit his fingers. He put the point in his mouth, the smell travelling up his nose and making his mouth water. He bit down, eyes popping open as he held the mouthful for a moment before he chewed.

Grimmjow seemed to blink and the slice in Ichigo’s hands was gone. Ichigo didn’t suppress his moan of delight which drew a feral grin to Grimmjow’s face. “Good man; now, try the other one.”

Ichigo ended up having two slices of each, unable to pick his favourite. The pizzas were huge and there was three slices left uneaten even with three of them eating them. Grimmjow moved the one spicy slice into the meat lover’s box before sliding it into the fridge for ‘afters’ he told Ichigo.

Ichigo was sporting a pizza smile, something that was both cute and gross and made Grimmjow drag him to the bathroom to clean up. Grimmjow was well practised in eating large slices without wasting one drop of sauce but he got a clean wash cloth and wiped Ichigo’s face, ignoring the other’s protests the whole time. Once his mouth was clean, Grimmjow dove in for a searing kiss, perching his ass on the bath as he held the other tightly. This made Ichigo taller than him but it wasn’t ridiculous. Grimmjow spread his knees and pulled Ichigo in more, the other gently lowering himself to his knees, changing the height difference again.

“When do we have to leave to get to the fires on time?”

“In about forty minutes why? We can leave earlier though; there is stalls and stuff around.”

“I want to try something.”

“Anything, Ice cream? There will probably be a stall for that.”

“No, I want to try what you did last night.”

“You mean when I went down on you? Yeah, we can do that again.” Grimmjow went to stand up, thinking he was taking Ichigo to his room to get his lips back around him again, but Ichigo tightened his grip on Grimmjow’s thighs. His hands crept up and hooked on Grimmjow’s jeans at the button.

“No, I mean I want to _go down_ on you. Now.” Ichigo popped the button on Grimmjow’s jeans before looking up for permission. Grimmjow lifted his ass off the bath, allowing Ichigo to pull the fly open and pull the jeans down to the floor. Ichigo didn’t even hesitate to pull the boxers down as well, putting both at Grimmjow’s feet and kneeling over them. Grimmjow was semi hard just from the request and the closeness of the other.

“Seriously, you can just touch me and I’ll go. You don’t have to suck on me; it’s a bit of a learning curve.”

“I’m a fast learner.” Ichigo swallowed all of his misgivings before lifting Grimmjow’s cock and leaning his head down, taking the head in between his lips. It was an odd sensation, with it being so soft and spongy at the tip but yet the rod was completely solid when his lips ran down it. He used his tongue to investigate all the little valleys and ridges in his mouth while drips of spit ran out of his mouth and down his chin, making him slurp a bit to try and stop it.

Grimmjow was enjoying the view of Ichigo’s mouth being so open around his rod and hearing the slurpy noises added to it. Ichigo glanced up at him, making Grimmjow hiss and thrust up a bit. His eyes were so innocent looking as he wrapped his hand around the bottom half of Grimmjow’s dick. He bobbed his head a few times with just the pressure of his lips around Grimmjow’s rod. “When you pull out, let your cheeks hollow round me, it makes more suction.” Grimmjow’s last word was a bit higher as Ichigo did just that, sucking a bit harder than Grimmjow was expecting. “Not so hard, and grip me hard with your hand but move it.” Grimmjow’s eyes drooped close as Ichigo followed each request, seeming to almost read Grimmjow’s mind with his precision. Grimmjow was tempted to hold back just to let the wonderful sensations continue but they were on a limited time and he didn’t want to hurt Ichigo’s jaw by lasting too long. “I’m going to go soon, pull off and just use your hand.”

Ichigo came off with a slurp, licking his lips to clear them a bit before looking at the reddened tip in front of him. “But, I orgasmed into your mouth yesterday.” He kept his hand moving while he talked.

“Yeah, but that wasn’t the first blow job I’d done. Trust me, this is wonderful.” Grimmjow leaned forward and cupped Ichigo’s chin, rubbing his thumb over Ichigo’s cheekbone. Ichigo was glancing up at Grimmjow every few seconds, most of his attention intent on the rod in his hand. He ran his tongue over the head, dipping it in the little slit a bit as he passed and he tasted the tangy trace of Grimmjow’s cum. It drew a little moan from him and he sucked on the tip a little, running his tongue under the helmet, remembering how good it felt when Grimmjow did it to him. He heard a muttered curse from above him before Grimmjow jerked his hips back, one hand over Ichigo’s own as he tried to redirect his cum but his first spurt caught Ichigo right over his face, the rest hitting the floor beside them. Grimmjow sank to the floor on his knees as he winced over the force of his orgasm. He hadn’t expected it to hit him so hard but Ichigo’s innocent touches and delicate licks with the tip of his tongue were more than he could take.

“Shit, I’m sorry I got you.” Grimmjow reached for his towel, turning to wipe Ichigo’s face when he saw the pink tongue cleaning his lips up, sucking Grimmjow’s cum into his mouth. Grimmjow growled a bit before pulling Ichigo closer, kissing him and sucking on that tongue the way Ichigo has been sucking on his dick. He broke away and wiped the side of Ichigo’s face a bit more before pecking him again.

“So, was it okay?”

“Sweetheart, it was amazing. I could have let you keep going all night. How’s your jaw?”

Ichigo lifted his hand and rubbed the hinge gently, feeling the ache but it wasn’t too bad. “It’s fine. Maybe later we could do it again?”

“It’s your birthday; we can do whatever you want. But I definitely want to return the favour.”

Ichigo smiled at him before standing. He was hard in his jeans but he knew it would pass in a moment or so and wouldn’t even think about asking for something like that. He looked in the mirror over the basin and saw he still had traces of Grimmjow on his skin and a little in his hair but he quickly washed them off and dried himself on the clean side of Grimmjow’s towel.

Grimmjow insisted that what they were wearing was fine for going out for the fires so they headed out when they were ready, Grimmjow’s arm around Ichigo’s shoulders to hold him close. It didn’t take them long to reach the park and even Ichigo knew where he was going just by the sheer number of people heading in the same direction. Ichigo had his new phone in his pocket with Grimmjow’s and Shinji’s numbers stored in it and his hands itched with wanting to hold it in his hand all the time. The thought of exactly what was in the little box still astonished him.

Grimmjow said hello to a group on one of the benches as they passed into the park but the couple didn’t stop walking, heading over to the circle of stalls near the lake. There was a carousel in the centre with a reasonable line at it. Ichigo stopped when they horses started to move round, listening to the music and watching the people lifting up and down on the horses’ backs. “What’s that?”

“It’s a carousel; a kids’ ride. You want to try it?”

“If it’s for children we’d better not.” Ichigo turned to leave, looking back at the ride once more. Grimmjow didn’t budge, a half-smile on his face.

“When I said kids ride I didn’t mean adults can’t go on it. Come on, we’ll get on the next turn if we join the queue now.” Grimmjow turned and started to walk over to the ride.

Ichigo was mesmerised by the turning ride, following the horses round and round to a tune he recognised. When it stopped he watched the people jump down and leave through a little gate before the gate at the start of the queue was opened and people trailed on. Grimmjow grabbed Ichigo’s hand and hurried in the opposite direction to the crowd, getting them a horse on the outside before they all went. Grimmjow jumped onto the base before helping Ichigo mount the outside horse, getting on the next one in himself. Ichigo was open mouthed as he gripped the leather reins and squeezed his thighs as he got used to the hard plastic horse between them. Grimmjow pointed out his horses name ‘Lancelot’ and Ichigo stroked the gold letters painted on the horse’s neck. Grimmjow pulled out his phone and snapped Ichigo on the horse, having to take a few since Ichigo kept looking at other things just as he pressed the shutter button.

The ride started up, Ichigo gasping loudly as his horse lifted and he grabbed a hold of the neck of the horse until the rhythm was settled. Only then did he straighten slowly, keeping both hands on the reins. Grimmjow didn’t hold on, used to much faster rides than a carousel and he was making plans to take Ichigo to a theme park in the future to see how he coped.

Ichigo loved the carousel and Grimmjow promised they could go back on after they’d wandered for a bit, Ichigo tucked back under his arm as they headed for the food stalls.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Sousuke knew Ichigo wanted to go to the fires so it had been a no brainer to be there as well. Not just himself obviously and the four others with him had an image of Ichigo and instructions to get him back by any means. Sousuke was sure the Hirako boy knew exactly where Ichigo was, the way he answered was so full of insolence and disrespect made it very clear he knew he’d been lied to and did not trust Sousuke in the slightest. Oh well, Ichigo can make new friends. He believed the Inoue girl that she hadn’t seen him, the terror in her voice when she spoke was very clear. Possibly choosing the Hirako boy was a mistake all along, as he’d grown up he’d just got more and more independent, and his parents just let him.

Sousuke didn’t like the park, didn’t like walking in the mud with his nice shoes and didn’t like the crowds around him, pressing on him with their noise and boisterous actions. He was still in disbelief that Ichigo would actually go out voluntarily but all the evidence said he did. His best suit was missing, along with his best watch. How he got out was still a mystery however, the doorman and the security cameras both having not seen him ever. Sousuke had maintained the agoraphobic story for years with various people like the tutors, trainers and the delivery companies and to save the ‘poor boy’s’ feeling, he had insisted that all knowledge of the outside was left there.

And it was perfect. Ichigo lived in luxury, not wanting for anything and healthier than any of his peers could be. He never complained about using his gift, always happy to let Sousuke slice him up to help others. Sousuke had been squeamish at the start, cutting up a young child would turn most people’s stomachs but once he stopped crying about it, it had become easier to slice him cleaner. Sousuke had worked on a pattern for a while but it had been too difficult to keep it neat and not over use an area.

Only once had Ichigo passed out from it, when Sousuke had brought one of the area’s top politicians to him to get rid of the years of alcohol abuse from the man’s liver. Ichigo could read the level of damage, or at least could tell the amount of healing he had to give and it took three large slices on Ichigo’s abdomen, the last being too deep and had the boy unconscious in a pool of his own blood. That had been the reason for the most recent redecoration of the living area, the cream carpet that had been down was ruined with the blood stains and the new deep grey one was definitely easier to clean. Or have cleaned anyway.

There was no way he was losing the boy. He was priceless to everyone Ichigo helped but even more so to Sousuke. He’d been middle aged when Ichigo was a baby, now at seventy four he was an official old man and would appear so if he didn’t have Ichigo’s aid every week. It used to be every month but as the damage age did to him grew worse, the time between sessions shortened. That and the money he got from everyone he helped kept him and the boy in luxury and he didn’t want to lose that either.

The park was busy and so loud. The insufferable music from the rides coupled with chatter and laughter was too much for him but he had to find the boy. He kept to the outside, knowing Ichigo would be shy and overwhelmed by everything. He was curious enough to venture to the area, Sousuke was sure about that but he didn’t think he’d be anywhere near the crowds.

Or at least that’s what Sousuke thought until he saw the vibrant hair on the boy on one of the plastic horses on the carousel. Sousuke stood and watched for a moment, needing several passes for his brain to confirm that yes, the smiling, happy face belonged to Ichigo and that he looked comfortable on the ride, clearly enjoying himself.

Sousuke was stunned; it was so far from what he had been expecting that he didn’t think he could be more shocked. That was until the ride came to a halt and another man came off the horse next to Ichigo before helping Ichigo down, holding his body close and pulling him in for a brief kiss. Ichigo’s eyes drooped close for the short touch and his smile returned afterwards, ducking his head and pressing his body close to the other.

Sousuke felt the frown on his face draw down, this was getting more complicated.

_iiiiiiii_

Ichigo wasn’t just comfortable. He was happy, loving being pressed against Grimmjow and he happily stood and listened to his boyfriend chat to Starrk and his girlfriend Halibel. Halibel was a little intimidating initially but when she pulled Ichigo in for a tight hug the moment he was introduced, he relaxed, knowing she was grateful for him helping her man.

Ichigo concentrated on eating his candy floss, Grimmjow stealing clumps with one hand while he stroked Ichigo’s hair with the other. Starrk checked his watch before leading the others over to the lake, the time growing close to when the fires were to start and he knew Ichigo really wanted a good view. There were some boats on the water but they were for security reasons, years ago people had tried to be in the water at the same time as the barges of fire which had been dangerous.

There were people standing around with piles of fliers, handing them one each as they approached the water edge. Ichigo opened his, seeing the photos on the inside page and wanted to look at them. The top picture was of a man and woman, holding each other. One of the man’s hands was on the swollen stomach of the woman as they looked into each other’s eyes and the love between them was clear. Ichigo turned to Grimmjow, the other wrapping his arms around Ichigo’s shoulders and resting his chin on them.

“That is the Shiba’s, richest family around. But really nice apparently. Masaki was heavily involved in charity work as well as Isshin funding environmental developments. The baby was too long in coming and everyone was waiting for it.” Grimmjow had heard the story so many times he didn’t have trouble relaying it to Ichigo. “It was a stupid accident, a fall or something at the mall and Masaki hit her head. The baby survived the accident apparently but didn’t live long after he was born.” Grimmjow turned the flier over, showing the photo of the baby on the back, a small scrap of a human staring back with huge dark eyes in its head. A dusting of pale hair covered its head and a simple white onesie covered the rest of him. “A cutie, and a poor shame.”

“Why fires? And rides and stalls?” Ichigo felt Grimmjow shrug.

“Dunno, guess he wanted to remember them somehow. Masaki’s hair was red like yours; maybe he decided to use fire to remember her for that.”

The crowd grew quiet and Ichigo looked around to find out why, spotting a lone man standing to the side on the lake side of the barrier. Everyone seemed to be looking at him and nothing happened until he lifted a hand, a booming sound following and then the whole lake ignited.

Ichigo’s mouth was open, shocked at the sight of the huge flames taking over the water, barely able to see the barges they were set on. The heat was incredible and his hair moved with the air, disturbed by the heat in front of him. Grimmjow’s arms remained around him, and he relaxed into them. Music started up, the barges starting to move in the water which caused the flames to dance in the air. Ichigo started to look around seeing the crowds staring at the fires. He stared at the lone man for a while, the figure standing with his hands in his pockets. It appeared the figure was looking around as well, glancing into the crowd, once right at Ichigo it seemed. Ichigo looked away, not wanting any more attention on him. He craned his head round, seeing children smiling and pointing up into the flames. The light up toys that had been for sale at the stalls were in their hands, spinning and twisting LED lights in the night. The music had a sad note to it, Ichigo feeling the emotion in the tune and he leaned more into Grimmjow who squeezed him gently in response. Grimmjow’s face peered round with a grin on it, pulling an answering smile from Ichigo and he leaned his head over. Grimmjow pecked him on the temple before leaning his head on Ichigo’s and releasing a sigh.

The fires were the main attraction for around twenty minutes, with lights and music making a spectacle but the barges would burn into the night and it was only so long that burning wood could hold a crowd. The people started drifting, some heading back to the other attractions in the park and some for home.

“You want to see anything else? Go on some more rides maybe?” Grimmjow’s arm was firmly around Ichigo’s shoulders and they walked connected through the grass. Starrk and Halibel had decided to head back to her’s, Starrk taking advantage of his good feeling to spend more time alone with his girl. They had yet to spot Nnoitra or Shinji in the crowds but both males seemed content to spend the time together, still learning about the other.

“What am I going to do now?” Ichigo stopped walking for a moment, Grimmjow halting at his side, a half step slower.

“That’s up to you, rides, food, home?” Grimmjow glanced about, looking for options he could take the other to.

“No, I mean with my life?” Ichigo turned to Grimmjow, the other arm coming to enclose them together.

Grimmjow frowned; he didn’t want to worry the other and also didn’t want to give him any false promises of a future that he was unsure of. “What do you want to do? You’re smart, eager to learn and I promise you’ll catch up on the technology thing quickly enough so that won’t stop you. Be a doctor, be a teacher. Whatever you want to be.”

 “I want to be with you.” Ichigo’s voice was small when he spoke and his head was down but Grimmjow pulled his head up and leaned down for a small peck.

“Then be with me. Be a musician, how about teaching music?”

Ichigo’s eyes widened, he loved his music tutors and the idea of getting to help someone realise the beauty of playing an instrument was appealing. He grinned up at Grimmjow and pulled him close for a hug, Ichigo’s arms wrapped around Grimmjow’s waist. Grimmjow hugged Ichigo’s shoulders and laid his cheek on the soft orange hair. He still had a grin on his face just at the feeling of holding the other man so close.

“How about some Candy Floss?” Grimmjow grinned at Ichigo’s confusion. He pulled them over to a stall and picked a bag of white cloud, paying with a smile.

Ichigo was sceptical of the bag of puffed sugar. Grimmjow lifted what looked like a handful of cotton wool and shoved it into his mouth, grinning at the look Ichigo was giving him. “Is everything made of sugar and grease?”

“Only the best stuff. C’mon, you wanted to experience new things.” Grimmjow pinched a small piece and held it out expectantly. “Open wide.” Ichigo obeyed, closing his lips around Grimmjow’s finger and sucking on it slightly to pull the candy into his mouth. It felt like smoke on his tongue but quickly dissolved into sugar that he swallowed. Licking his lips he looked for more, trying to ignore Grimmjow’s smug look.

The pair of them walked through the park more, Ichigo now holding the bag of candy floss and feeding some of it to Grimmjow, mostly eating it himself. He found it difficult to laugh at the things his boyfriend was saying with a mouth full of cloud but he managed to not dribble sugar on himself.

Ichigo elected to stand outside the toilets when Grimmjow had to go, leaning against a nearby fence to watch the fires burn themselves out. The height had reduced a lot but the heat was still there and Ichigo could feel his skin tighten a little.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

Ichigo’s blood froze in his veins, the voice over his shoulder lifting the hairs on his neck as well. He turned slowly and his eyes widened as his father’s face came into view. Sousuke was looking at the fires, his handsome face lit in the night’s darkness which highlighted the age marks that Ichigo had grown to know well.

He disliked the times his father needed help the most. Not that he disliked helping his father, it was just the age damage was worse than an injury of even just one organ malfunctioning. To change the cellular structure in an adult man to reduce his age took its toll and hurt a great deal. Ichigo had become accustomed to reading his father’s temper through the age marks, the more that showed, the angrier he was until he needed Ichigo’s assistance to reverse it. With two to three week between times recently, there hadn’t been much time when he wasn’t angry.

“You know, when I saw you on that carousel I could hardly believe my eyes. The scared, insular little boy I’d raised in that tower seemed to have disappeared. Good to see that he hasn’t gone far, Ichigo.”

“Father, I,”

“I don’t care for your excuses boy, I only care that I have you back. Now I want you to get into the car I take you to without a fuss and we’ll go back to your rooms. If you come quietly then there will be no punishment given once we’re back.”

Ichigo glanced over at the portable toilet block Grimmjow had disappeared into, there hadn’t been a queue and he was wondering what was taking Grimmjow so long. His next thought was if he could dodge his father and just run in there. His father would never cause a scene in a toilet in front of others, he’d sooner die.

“You’re little friend might be a while. He’s learning exactly how much trouble you really are and will have to decide if you’re really worth it. My guess he’ll be smart and walk away now you’re taken care of. Do you think he can protect you from the kidnappers, the ones who’d sell you to the highest bidder for your abilities?”

Ichigo’s head was dropped as it usually was when his father was there. He closed his eyes as his father spoke, trying to ignore what he was saying. His whole life the only one who’d ever told him the ‘truth’ was his father. His father had ‘protected’ him and ‘loved’ him but then what kind of love was built from a lie? His head crept up and he frowned up at the man who’d raised him, but even then, did he really?

“How much did you charge Father? How much did those people pay to watch you cut up my back so I could heal them? Nothing is free here Father, therefore these scars weren’t for free.”

“Ichigo, you do _not_ raise your voice to me. And yes, those people did pay but do you really believe I’d hurt you for free? You’re my son.”

Ichigo had been backing off since he started talking back and glances over his shoulder showed him he was heading towards the edge of the park, away from the crowd unfortunately though. His plan was to bolt as soon as he could see a clear path. He didn’t want to trap himself anywhere and was pretty confident that he’d be able to outrun his _much_ older father. “I am not going back to that house. I don’t want to be trapped in, lied to and sliced up so you can make money from it.” Ichigo’s voice was raised even further as his anger mounted against his life.

Aizen’s eyes narrowed. He never thought he’d have to beat obedience into the boy he’d raised; Ichigo had been afraid of him and had respected him all his young life. The change was unsettling. Aizen wasn’t a violent man; he had people for that sort of thing.

Ichigo backed off another step or so until he felt a body behind him. Large arms came round him, holding him close and for a heartbeat he relaxed, sure it was Grimmjow holding him but the arms tightened, choking him. He reached up and grabbed the forearms across his chest, kicking out and screaming a bit. “Let me go.”

Aizen walked up to him, suit still uncreased and hair still slicked back neatly. “I’ll never let you go boy, you belong to me.”

Ichigo looked up into the smug face of the man he thought loved him. He scowled up, baring his teeth in anger and pushed his back against the man behind him, pulling his legs up and donkey kicking Aizen in the chest, the force sending the older man to the ground on his ass. Ichigo spread his arms and lifted them, forcing the restraining arms to lift a bit as well and he then sank his teeth into the bare hand on top. He bit down as hard as he could wrenching back a little to make it really hurt and it worked enough to loosen the arms and let him struggle out. He kicked back as he struggled, hitting the man in the knee and felt him go down. Ichigo glanced at his father, seeing he was starting to get up and bolted, using all the physical training his father had paid for to get him as far away as possible. His way out of the park was blocked by the guy who’d grabbed him, his way into it was blocked by his father so his only choice was to follow the railings round the lake with its fire still burning and hope he could fine somewhere to hide or an escape route in that direction.

There were at least people in that direction that looked at him strangely as he bolted away. He had to put the brakes on when he was faced with two large men in suits, their hands outstretched and walking towards him. He knew straight away that these two weren’t to be tangled with but his only choice was to hop the fence, pulling his body over the five foot fence to land at the other side.

“Ichigo!” He heard his name being shouted and he turned, seeing his father’s angry face at the fence. He smirked to himself before heading round the lake.

“Find that boy, don’t kill him but bring him down. He’ll heal.” Aizen was furious and watched the three men he’d brought leap the small fence and chase after the boy.

Ichigo felt the fire’s heat grow as he got closer. It was uncomfortable and he turned away from the lake a bit, trying to get distance from the flames as well as get away. His way was blocked by a temporary metal fence that he grabbed with two hands but it wouldn’t take his weight, the whole fence leaning towards him. He chanced a glance behind him, seeing two large figures approaching him in the darkness which made him let go of the fence and start running around it, hoping for a way out of the park and onto the street. Even with his high level of fitness, the panic that had set in was making his heart pump too loudly in his ears and his feet kept stumbling on the uneven ground.

His foot caught on something which made him tumble to the ground, the breath getting knocked out of him as he landed. Tears filled his eyes as he fought to breathe, to stand and to keep moving. He used the fence to pull himself to his feet, feeling the fence give again as he got upright and leaned on it. The fence gave more than he thought it would and he glanced to the side, seeing the length of fence ending at a tree before continuing on with a new length. The chains holding the fence in place were near the top and the bottom, leaving the centre just leaning on the bark of the tree. Ichigo glanced into the trees, hearing rather than seeing his pursuers, and he pushed through the fence. His face scraped on the bark of the tree and the fence caught on his clothes as he made his way through. It took longer than he liked and the two men following him burst from between the trees and spotted him easily. Ichigo jerked himself through more, yelping when his skin caught on the metal. He was still wrestling his last leg through the fence then the men got to him and grabbed his foot. Ichigo pulled and kicked with it but was yanked towards the fence which made him lose his balance.

“Heh, nice try boy. Now make your way back through the fence before I twist your foot off.” The man gave him a warning twist, yanking Ichigo’s foot round. Ichigo scowled at the other before shuffling forward to give him more leverage to kick at the man. He took him by surprise by booting him in the face which made his hands slip to Ichigo’s shoe rather than his ankle and Ichigo took the opportunity to slip out of his trainer and bolt away. His ankle was sore after being twisted so he was slowed but there was no way the two large men were making it through the fence gap. Ichigo heard them swear which made him smirk and he looked back in time to see one of them pull a gun out, brown eyes widening as the trigger was pulled and he was hit on the leg.

“Thought you were clear there, eh boy? You sit pretty while we come and get you.” The two men chuckled to each other, both sure that the young man there would be immobilised with a bullet hole in his leg. Neither realised that he’d been living and working around pain his whole life and was gone the next time they looked. “Aizen isn’t going to be happy.”

Ichigo was hobbling on his injured leg, glad they’d hit the one that had the sore ankle so he had at least one good leg. He was heading back towards the light of the fires, hoping to follow the lake round to the other side to get some help. He remembered Shinji lived on the lake side of the park so he at least could lay low there until he could take care of himself. He couldn’t risk sitting and fixing things yet, not wanting to be caught sitting on the grass. He stumbled through a close set of trees and stopped abruptly as he came to a set up area with a fold away table standing near two cars parked on the grass. Three people stood at the car side, black silhouettes against the fire and staring at the boy who’d stumbled across them.

Ichigo back stepped a bit, worried it might be his father and he stumbled again, slumping against a tree at his back. He didn’t have the strength to get back up again and resigned himself to being taken; he didn’t have any fight left in him.

One of the figures approached him and it became clear that it wasn’t Aizen when the stranger’s face was concerned and kind. Ichigo frowned back at him, recognising him from somewhere and he tilted his head, trying to remember.

“Son, are you alright?” The man knelt on the ground in front of him his hand on his waist which spread the wool coat around him to show the suit underneath. Another man approached, standing just behind the one who’d approached. The man extended a hand, cupping Ichigo’s face when he didn’t answer and he pulled Ichigo’s chin up, the warm palm big enough to hold half his face.

Ichigo closed his eyes for a moment as the heat sank into his skin. After years of little human contact, the treatment from Grimmjow had made him crave human touch. He opened his eyes and met the brown ones in the man opposite. “Help me, please?” Ichigo’s voice broke as tears filled his eyes to run down his cheek. “Please, my father is trying to catch me; he wants to trap me again. Please, I need help.”

The stranger’s eyebrows met over his eyes, fury on the other’s face. “Your _father_ is chasing you? Did he hurt you? Your face is all cut up.”

“His men shot me; he tried to take me back in the fair. I ran, I’m sorry for crossing the fence but I didn’t want to go back.”

The stranger turned to the man at his side, the one standing bending down to listen to the other whisper in his ear.

“Right my lad, let’s get you up alright? I’m sorry if this is going to hurt but I want to look at you a bit. We’ll help you boy, don’t worry.” The larger man scooped Ichigo’s body up, holding him like a child, close to his body. Ichigo closed his eyes again, sinking into the heat coming from the other and inhaling the smell. Ichigo was put onto the table that the third man had cleared and he was quickly seen to. “Right, we’ve called the police and I don’t want to move you if there are people looking for you until they get there alright? Can you tell me your name please?”

“Ichigo, can I ask yours?”

The man took a breath, his smile becoming tight for some reason. “Hi Ichigo, I’m Isshin. This is Kenpachi and Shunsui, my friends.”

Ichigo looked at the other two men in the dark, both nodding when their names were called. The first’s smile was a little scary and the second winked at him but he still felt at ease. The man closest to him kept an arm around his body and he appreciated the heat as his body went into shock. He tried to breathe through it, to contain the shivers but his saviour felt them and stripped his wool coat off, wrapping him in the too big fabric. The smell combined with the heat was comforting and with his leg wrapped he was almost comfortable, could have almost drifted off.

“Oh no lad, no sleeping after blood loss. And if you bumped your head you might not wake up. Come on, talk to me.”

“I’m sorry to ask sir, but are you Isshin Shiba?” The name had helped jog Ichigo’s memory.

The man smiled sadly back at him again. “Yes boy, I am. It’s always hard meeting someone with my boy’s name, but some people used it as a tribute after I lost him.”

“Your son was called Ichigo?” Ichigo’s eyes were wide, he’d never heard of anyone with the same name as him.  

“Yes, he would have been eighteen today.” Isshin sniffed a bit, discretely wiping at one of his eyes.

“It’s my eighteenth today. My boyfriend took me out to see the fires to celebrate. We went on the carousal.” Ichigo smiled at the memory of it.

Isshin looked down at the boy sitting on his picnic table. The same name, same birthday and the same kind of sweet smile his wife used to have when talking about him. He turned his back to the light, cupping the boy’s face again and turning it into the light still being generated by the fires. His eyes were like liquid chocolate, little flecks of gold in places lightening it. His hair was wild and dancing like flames in the evening breeze, in a shade just brighter than Masaki’s. Isshin let the boy go, missing the look of despair that flashed over Ichigo’s face at being released. He had to take a moment to swallow the hurt that still lived in his chest after eighteen years. Shunsui was at his elbow a second later with a reassuring hand on his shoulder. “Where are those damn police?” Isshin wanted the boy helped and well again but also wanted him as far away as he could get.

Five figures approached from the lake side, blacked out in the light but Ichigo knew who they were. His father’s profile was easy to pick out and he was devastated to see Grimmjow caught up by a man of equal size to him. He’d been messed up a bit and looked pissed until he laid eyes on Ichigo when he sighed with relief.

Aizen didn’t hesitate, marching up to Ichigo and grabbing him by the upper arm, pulling him off the table to his feet. “You should have come back quietly.” The words were snarled at Ichigo who was shaken roughly.

Ichigo shoved at his father, scratching and punching out until he was dropped. “I’m not going back Father; I’m not your lab rat to be skinned when you need the money.”

Aizen reached out to grab the boy again but was roughly grabbed himself by someone larger than him.

Isshin was more than angry, unhappy that the poor boy he’d help was on the ground again but absolutely furious that a father could treat their son like that. “How can you call yourself a father? How can you hurt your child?” Isshin crouched to Ichigo again, taking the thin arm over his shoulder and standing with his arm around Ichigo’s waist. “You will be waiting for the police to come then we will see who’ll be going quietly.” Isshin nodded to Kenpachi to keep a hold of the man while he comforted the terrified boy at his side. Shunsui had his side arm out and pointed at the three men holding the other boy at the water side who were all not moving.

Isshin walked Ichigo away from his tormentor, heading to his car to sit the boy down when he moved into the light enough to glance at the so-called father’s face. He stopped dead when his old colleague was revealed. “Aizen?”

“Shiba, like you can comment on my parenting. What do you have to compare it to?” Aizen smiled wickedly at him knowing the comment was going to hurt.

“My boy would have been loved, would have been cherished, not running for his life on his birthday. If I got to hold my son in my arms even one more time, I don’t think I’d ever be able to let him go.” Isshin rearranged his grip on Ichigo, turning him so he wasn’t looking at his tormentor. It did mean that Ichigo was pressed against his front. “”You’ll not get the chance to hurt this child again.”

“Oh, I think I will.” Aizen wrestled with Kenpachi, using the man’s blindness on one side to his advantage to roll to the ground. He pulled a small hand gun out and aimed it, pulling the trigger before Kenpachi managed to do the same. Aizen’s bullet hit its mark, the body hitting the ground before Aizen was disarmed and knocked out cleanly. Kenpachi turned to his friend, shock on his face as Isshin struggled to hold the boy in his arms.

Ichigo screamed, fighting against the hold on him as he fought to get to Grimmjow. Isshin let him go when he begged and was surprised when the boy with the bullet through his leg managed to run over to the four men on the shore. Two were down, Grimmjow and his captor both in the water and not moving. The other two were listening to Shunsui and had sunk to their knees, both just watching what was happening in the firelight.

Ichigo hauled Grimmjow’s wet body out of the lake, laying him in the silt at the side as he shook the boy. “Grimm, please. Grimmjow!” He screamed his love’s name, yanking at the wet t-shirt under his hands. He pressed his ear on Grimmjow’s chest, hearing his heart still beating and he knew he didn’t have long. He scrambled through Grimmjow’s pockets, swearing when he couldn’t find anything sharp.

“Ichigo,” Isshin hurried to the lake side, trying to pull the boy out of the way but he was thrown back.

“I need a knife, something sharp.” Ichigo leaned over Grimmjow’s body to the other man in the water. He searched through his pockets too, finding nothing sharp but found the man’s gun. Isshin tried to take it from him but Ichigo shoved him away again. He handled the gun carefully, not really knowing what he was doing but he pressed it into his thigh, grabbing Grimmjow’s hand and leaning his forehead on Grimmjow’s chest.

Isshin shouted at him and went to stop him but was too late. Ichigo pulled the trigger and winced at the pain, turning it and pushing it into Grimmjow. He felt the click quickly, the pain was worse than a slice but he could feel it wasn’t enough. He re-aimed the gun further down his leg and pulled the trigger again.

This time he felt the right level, pouring it into the man he loved. It flowed fast, faster than he could control but he’d never healed someone from dying from a gunshot. He looked at Grimmjow’s face, seeing he was starting to wake up. Ichigo leaned back onto Grimmjow’s chest, closing his eyes as he felt the healing come to the end. He knew Grimmjow would be fine, feeling his body knit back together. His own pain was also less, fading away until he could barely feel it.

Grimmjow’s body moved under him, arms coming to hold him in place as he started to slip to the side. Grimmjow sat up, pulling Ichigo into his arms. Ichigo turned, smiling up as he saw Grimmjow’s blue eyes on him. He could see Grimmjow speaking to him but couldn’t hear him. He was just happy to be held and he was so tired.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Pain was a regular bed mate for Ichigo and it was not the first time he had woken up in bed with a just healed wound nipping as he moved. It had been a few years though, Aizen having given up on trying to lift him if he cut Ichigo too deeply. More recently Ichigo had woken up alone, on his living room carpet. A big injury, needing a lot of healing and therefor a big injury for him as well sometimes meant he needed a bit of rest time.

He rolled onto his side, hissing as his leg hurt a lot as he moved. That thought brought him round more, his legs weren’t somewhere he cut a lot so it was a new sensation. Ichigo sat up as he woke, blinking as he came around. It wasn’t his bedroom, or Grimmjow’s. It wasn’t even a hospital room, something that he kind of expected as the events that led to him hurt returned to him. The room was large, high ceilings and nice modern décor with huge windows taking up more of one wall. The light was diffused through long, thin cream curtains which kept the sun out but let him see easily.

Ichigo pushed the cover down a bit, allowing him to see his lower half. The thick sheets and duvet bunched at his knees but he could see the white bandage round his upper thigh, where he’d fired two shots into his own leg. He was dressed in a loose shirt and a pair of shorts that were too big for him but it was comfortable to lie in.

Ichigo didn’t have much concept of money yet but with what he’d seen in Grimmjow’s apartment and his own, he could tell that the owner of the house had a lot of money. His door opened and a young woman in a maid’s tunic dress and apron entered with a tray with a basin and some towels in her hands.

“Oh, sir. I am so glad to see you awake! How do you feel? Are you in any pain?”

Ichigo blinked at her, not knowing what to say right away. “Eh, no, not really. I’m alright, where am I?”

“You’re in your father’s home. I will go and get him. He will be delighted that you’re awake.” The woman had a big smile on her face, seemed very excited to see him awake but Ichigo was definitely not smiling. She left, leaving the door open slightly and Ichigo heard her footsteps disappear along the corridor.

Ichigo was pretty sure his father would be furious with him, perhaps happy that he wasn’t dead but ‘delighted’ might be a stretch. Ichigo fisted handfuls of the white sheets as he bit back tears of frustration and defeat at being captured again. He was a bit surprised to have been brought back to Aizen’s own home instead of his own place but then Ichigo had proven that it wasn’t secure enough anymore. It hit Ichigo that he’d never see Shinji again. Never get to play chess with him at the large, city scape windows while chatting. Ichigo had been happy in his little world with his library and instruments. He should have stayed.

But then, he would never have met Grimmjow. The fight to hold back his tears just increased. The last thing Ichigo saw before waking up in the room was Grimmjow’s blue eyes and just knowing he’d helped the other, saved his life gave him a little solace. Hopefully he’d forget how it felt to be held by the other eventually, and how he smelled. Small things really but Ichigo wanted them then and there. Something he’d have to get over.

In all of his internal depression, he forgot that the woman had left the door open. He spotted it as he turned slightly, his body tensing up. He had no idea how the house was laid out. He had no idea where the house was and he had no idea where his trousers were but he wasn’t going to let any of that stop him.

He eased his feet out of the covers and slid them to the soft rug at the side of the bed. He stood slowly, feeling his still tender wounds complain. He stumbled a bit as he walked and felt all the injuries he’d inflicted on himself. His ankle was sore, the shot the other guy got on his leg hurt and the two he did on his other thigh were throbbing. All in all he didn’t like his chances of running if he had to.

He shuffled to the door and looked down a wide corridor. There were a number of doors off it, and windows along the other wall. He looked through them and could pick out a few landmarks he’d seen from his own window but they were in the wrong places and it was the wrong side of them. He was clearly on the other side of the city from his own place. At least it was still the same city.

Ichigo couldn’t even limp to take a bit of pressure from his hurts because it was both legs that hurt. Limping on one would just hurt the other more. He shuffled down the hall, looking for a stair case to take him down to the ground floor and hopefully to an outside door.

The stairs he found easily but it wasn’t easy to get down them. One step at a time, taking turns lowering each leg to try and find the least sore one but he had to just grit his teeth since they both hurt, just in different ways. Each step became part of a pledge to himself. “Never, use, a gun. Never, use, a gun.”

He had to take a break at the bottom of the stairs just to catch his breath and wonder which direction to go in. There was noise coming from the left but it seemed to be the quickest path to outside. Quick and certain became more appealing than long but quiet and he snuck that way, making sure his bare feet didn’t make a sound. He passed by an open door with three people just inside the room chatting but none of them spotted him. He kept going along the wall, glancing back to make sure he wasn’t followed but he saw one of the males coming towards the door, still looking back and laughing slightly. Before Ichigo could be spotted he opened a door on the hallway and stepped inside, closing it over but not completely to keep it quiet.

Ichigo stood at the door for a moment as he waited for the coast to be clear. He jumped as he heard a throat being cleared behind him, turning his sore body too quickly so that it over balanced and fell onto the door, banging it shut behind him.

Ichigo was expecting his father but instead it was the nice man who’d helped him at the lakeside, him interrupting his memorial to his lost son and wife. “Mr Shiba, I’m terribly sorry for intruding.” Ichigo kept his head down, his face reddening from being caught slinking around.

“Ichigo, you’re alright? What are you doing out of bed?” The bigger man stood up from his desk and headed over, arms out to grab the younger man. Ichigo instinctively shrunk away, turning towards the door more and pressing himself into it. “Yuki came and told me that you were awake, she was just going to help you get cleaned up and get something to eat. Why are you up?” Isshin had frozen when Ichigo reacted the way he did, clearly his motions had alarmed him.

Ichigo looked up at the other. “I didn’t want to be trapped by my father again. She said this was his house, but why are you here?”

Isshin smiled a half smile at the other. “This is your father’s house; you just don’t know who your real father is. I’m afraid I have a lot of birthdays and Christmases to make up for my boy.”

Ichigo’s brown eyes went wide as he absorbed the other’s words. “But, Aizen?”

“Stole you, stole our lives together. You died, only you didn’t die. But because everyone thought you’d died, no one looked for you. I have visited Masaki’s grave many times, thinking you were there as well.” Isshin looked down at his son, seeing his wife’s lovely face recreated with a masculine jaw. He knelt slowly, taking Ichigo’s hand gently. “I don’t know if I will ever be able to apologise properly for not raising you myself, allowing my sweet boy to be used like you have been.”

“You’re my dad?” Ichigo spoke quietly but was looking directly at the other for the first time. Isshin gave him a little half smile, something that Ichigo recognised from his own facial expressions. Ichigo slumped ungracefully to his own knees, grunting at the sharp pains in both his legs but he quickly threw his arms around Isshin’s shoulders, burying himself in the larger man’s body and pulling even closer when the strong arms wrapped around him. Isshin laid a hand gently on Ichigo’s head, stroking the soft hair gently as a few tears trickled down his cheeks. The feel of his son’s warm body against his mended a broken part of his soul, something that had been hurting for so many years.

Ichigo was revelling in the warm grasp, the hand on his head stroking him brought a smile to his face and the comforting smell coming from the other man made him feel safe. “Can I call you Dad?”

Isshin just squeezed his boy tighter. “Only if you want to and if it’s not what you called that man.”

“He was just Father to me, and he never held me.”

Isshin stood up with his son in his arms, Ichigo being lifted off his knees and held off his feet with their height difference. “I don’t know if I’ll let you go.”

Ichigo chuckled, sounding a little wet from the emotions but he closed his eyes and rested his head on his dad’s shoulder. “Sounds good to me. Though I’m pretty heavy.”

“Yeah, I’m getting that. How about we take a seat instead.” Isshin set Ichigo down gently, wrapping his arm around the boy instead and leading him over to the sofa in the room. The door banged open just as they settled next to each other, the young maid Ichigo had woken to standing there looking panicked.

“SIR! Your son,” she paused as she spotted the missing male. “Is right there.” She finished with a relieved tone and a sigh. “Sorry to interrupt sir.”

“That’s alright Yuki, he found me on his own. Sorry to worry you.”

The girl waved her boss off. “I’m glad he’s alright. Young sir, would you like something to eat? You’ve been asleep for a long time.”

Ichigo flushed at the way he was addressed. He thought about it for a moment before realising that yes, he was hungry. “Um, yes I would like something please.”

Yuki nodded, happy he was agreeable. “Anything in particular sir?”

Ichigo looked at his father for a moment before looking back. He was still not used to having a choice in what he was eating and was still really clueless on meal options. “I don’t mind. Anything thanks.”

“Some soup and maybe a couple of light sandwiches would be best Yuki; I will join him as well please.”

Ichigo knew what soup was from formal dinners with his father’s guests but it wasn’t something he had often. And sandwiches were something he hadn’t eaten since he was a child. Bread was not a healthy enough option.

Isshin turned to the younger man as the maid left, settling an arm around his shoulders. “Grimmjow has been telling me bits and pieces of your life while you’ve been asleep. I still don’t understand it all but then I don’t think he does either. You two haven’t been together all that long as far as I can gather.”

Ichigo frowned, realising he didn’t even know how long he’d been asleep for. “You’ve spoken to Grimmjow? Is he alright?”

Isshin smiled gently. “He is fine. You made sure of that. Something else I don’t understand properly. Grimmjow will be round later after class. He has been coming round every day to see you. I think he’s only missed one when he had an exam the next day. How long have you known him?”

Ichigo frowned again. “That depends, how long was I asleep?” If Grimmjow had been coming every _day_ then clearly it was several.

“Two weeks.” Isshin spoke quietly, looking at his own lap which conveyed his anguish at the length of the time.

Ichigo’s eyes widened. He’d never slept that long after falling unconscious before. “Then I’ve known Grimmjow for two weeks and two days. He landed on the ladder outside my gym window and winked at me. I followed him and his friend Nnoitra to the park and listened to them play music for a while.”

Isshin snorted. “You mean a boy who’s known you for two days is so head over heels for you that he spends every spare minute with your sleeping body? And you! You shoot yourself _twice_ for a boy you’d known for less than forty eight hours?!”

Ichigo flushed, dropping his chin. “I knew I’d be alright. And Grimmjow, he only got hurt because of me.”

“Bbuuutttt….. you like him.” Isshin was smiling goofily as he spoke, Ichigo glancing at him and smiling a bit in response.

“Yes, I really do. I just don’t know what to do with it.”

Isshin sighed and slumped a bit on the sofa. “No one does, even those who have grown up in a world of freedom. It’s a scary thing, the road to love. But at least you’re not alone on the path. That boy is crazy about you.” It was quiet between them for a moment and Ichigo curled his legs up on the sofa. “Something else that came up when he was here was that you are a little, uneducated about relations, especially between two men.”

Ichigo flushed deeply, pulling away from his dad physically as well. Isshin wasn’t having any of it though, reaching out and pulling him back. “Nuh uh. No running and hiding. You’ve known me for five minutes, I know that but I want to be there for you. Someone should have been there for you, to talk to you about this stuff all your life. And it should have been me. And your mum.”

“What was she like?” Ichigo laid his head back on his father’s shoulder.

Isshin lifted his arm off Ichigo for a moment, wrestling his wallet out of his trouser pocket. He flicked it open and a stream of photographs fell out on a plastic strip. Isshin pulled Ichigo close again while holding the photos in his other hand. The first was of a much younger Isshin holding a beautiful young woman in his arms, her hair just a shade lighter than Ichigo’s bright orange. They looked serene and beautiful in it.

“This is our first official posed photo so it’s a little stiff. This next one is more like us.” Isshin unfolded another one, showing Masaki in his arms with her legs wrapped around his waist. She was pulling a silly face and holding Isshin’s mouth to a ridiculous smile. That was only the first silly picture he showed Ichigo, the one of Isshin carrying Masaki in her wedding dress on the beach with his trousers rolled to his knees with them both laughing bringing out the next story. “Yeah, about five minutes later I tripped and fell in the water with her. I wasn’t allowed to keep those pictures in my wallet. She hid them. I think her soaked face with the makeup running down as she shrieked at me wasn’t something she wanted me showing off.” Ichigo chuckled along with the man. Other pictures told more about his parents and eventually Masaki started to show she was expecting. There weren’t many pictures left and the chuckles had died from both of them.

The last space in the picture reel was a piece of paper with a tiny footprint done in blue. “This is all I have of you, you were born with no hair so I didn’t get a piece and you didn’t live long enough for a photograph to be taken. Or at least I didn’t think you did. This little foot has given me many kicks up the backside to keep going. Maybe I’ll get one of your big feet and keep it as well.”

Ichigo looked at his dad incredulously but realised the man was only joking. Yuki the maid put her head around the door a moment later to let the men know their lunch was ready and Isshin dragged his son to the sun room to enjoy lunch at the garden windows.

Isshin didn’t want to over whelm the boy so left him to his own devices in what basically equated to his library. Ichigo wandered around, looking over the shelves but he was mainly thinking as he walked. He also realised as he made his fifth circuit of the room that his legs weren’t hurting as much as they had when he’d woken a few hours ago which was good. He also realised that he was still walking around in a pair of shorts and a loose shirt, showing a lot of his legs off. Something that became more prominent as Grimmjow was showed into the room.

Ichigo stared at the other boy, his face pale as he did a slow check of him. He stood without a problem, eyes a bit wide but he looked well and fit. Ichigo felt his eyes well a little as he met the bright blue ones of the other boy.

“Ichigo? I am so glad to see you awake. Are you alright? Ichigo?” Grimmjow was so relieved to hear that the other was awake and healing but the silence from him became worrying. “Do you remember me?”

Ichigo gave himself a shake as he realised he’d just been staring at the other rather that speaking. But he didn’t know where to begin so he decided to not use words to convey how happy he was to see Grimmjow. He walked towards him, his steps becoming quicker as he approached. The last two were barely steps, Ichigo leaping at the larger man and relieved when two arms grabbed him as tightly as he grabbed Grimmjow’s neck. One hand went under his ass and the other went to the back of his neck to hold him close. Ichigo wrapped his legs around Grimmjow’s narrow waist to support his weight better before pulling back to look at Grimmjow’s face.

“Hi,”

Grimmjow smiled helplessly, a breath escaping him in a hurry. “I take it you do remember me then.”

Ichigo nodded, pulling himself in closer again, nearly choking Grimmjow with his enthusiasm. “I remember you. I remember how you smell. I didn’t think I’d get to hold you again.”

“Well I’m glad I had a shower after the gym then, if you’re going to be smelling me.” Grimmjow had to break the tension; it was getting too serious when he was just delighted to hold the other. Ichigo pushed off Grimmjow’s shoulder to lift his head. He frowned at the other thinking he’d done something wrong. Grimmjow pecked him on the nose, smiling when Ichigo went cross eyed to watch him. “Sorry, I just missed you so much.”

“You missed me?”

“Well you’ve been asleep for two weeks. And you left _me_ to answer all the questions. Most people don’t heal up so quick after gun shots after all.”

Ichigo tensed at the mention of healed gun shots, struggling slightly to be released and he lowered his legs. He pulled Grimmjow’s t-shirt up, running his hand over the smooth skin, no scar to be seen.

“Not even a mark. I know where it was from the hole in my shirt. You on the other hand have three new ones.”

Ichigo glanced down at his wrapped legs. “I haven’t looked yet.” He just shrugged before wrapping his arms around Grimmjow’s waist. “I’m so glad to see you. I’ve missed you too.”

Grimmjow snorted as he wrapped his arms around Ichigo’s shoulders. “And you’ve only been awake for a few hours.”

“My father wasn’t my father.”

Grimmjow squeezed him a bit more. “Yeah I know. I’ve been chatting to Isshin for a couple of weeks. He’s pretty cool. Doesn’t seem to be inclined to slice you up either.”

Ichigo just shook his head. “I like him. It feels nice when he holds me. Different from when you do it.”

Grimmjow snorted again. “I sincerely hope so. My thoughts about you are definitely unfatherly.”

“How did he know? How did my father, I mean that man end up with me?”

Grimmjow sighed. “I think he took you from the hospital to hold you ransom or something like that. But he discovered what you could do. I really don’t want to think how he found out from a baby that he could heal if he got hurt.”

“I’ve been doing it as long as I remember. He wasn’t squeamish at using a blade on me when I was young. And how did Isshin find out about me? Being his I mean.”

“Have you seen any pictures of your mum yet? It’s pretty damn obvious if you ask me. But your blood types match and too many things add up.”

“There is a DNA test going through, my lawyers insisted on it for me to officially recognise you but officially or not, you’re my son and nothing they can do will change that.” Isshin had walked in the door as they spoke, smiling at the sight of the two so close.

Ichigo smiled in response before sighing gently in Grimmjow’s grasp. “Where do I live? I mean is it here with my dad, or with Grimmjow? What about school?”

Isshin chuckled lightly. “We can work it all out. You can live where you like, both if you want. Grimmjow told me you were working on university level courses at home so we can figure out where you are and continue them here or get you set up in class like Grimmjow. I am not going to tell you what you can and can’t do. I’ll only suggest, or at least I’ll try to only do that. I’m having to learn this after all.”

Ichigo broke away from Grimmjow’s embrace but allowed the other to hold his hand when he grabbed it. “Don’t think I can help you learn how to be a dad.”

“I think we can help each other out. Grimmjow can keep us right.”


End file.
